Look Before You Leap
by Perfectly-Imperfect1996
Summary: Rachel and Lily Compton just found out their related to a vampire. Lily is happy to be somewhere quiet with nice people while Rach isn't too happy with small town life that is until she meets Eric Northman and things start to get interesting... *Winner of an Energize WIP Award for Most Promising True Blood fanfiction*
1. 1 Introductions

**Lily POV**

"Oh my god," I heard Rachel say behind me.

"It's pretty," I told my sister.

"If you like things that are old and falling apart I guess you might think that."

"It's our house now. We'll fix it up. In a few months you won't recognize the place," I told her happily.

"I sure hope so." She shuddered.

It had only been a month since our mom passed away and when we were sorting out her will we found this old place she'd left to us. It had been passed down to her when our grandfather Jesse had died, but she'd never told us about it. Now it belonged to us. After her funeral we had decided getting out of Colorado for a while would be nice. Seeing as we had nowhere better to go it seemed an old house in Bon Temps, Louisiana was as good a place as any.

And the lack of vampire in Bon Temps is a plus too. Don't get me wrong I have nothing against vampires and I'll even vote for vampire rights. I'm not one of those crazy religious people that would rather all vampires be wiped off the face of the planet. But, if they want to stay out of my life, well that's fine by me.

My twin sister Rachel loves vampires. Not that she's ever met one, but she loves the idea of living forever, seeing the world and being powerful, which is weird because she was never into fantasy books growing up. She used to tell me that they were all fake and nothing like that could ever exist. Obviously, she was wrong. I used to love reading things like that and I always wished things like fairies, witches, werewolves and vampires actually were real. And now that they are I'm scared to death of them, while my sister who never believed in them is the exact opposite.

"Nothing happens in Bon Temps, you know that right?" Rachel told me as she lugged in another box.

"So?" I asked as I looked around.

"You are so lame." She sighed, "You know I could really use some help with these boxes."

"Be there in a second," I told her.

I looked outside, we had already been here longer than I thought, the sun had just set and it was getting really dark out. Then I heard a creak. "Rachel?" No answer. "Hello? Is anyone there?" Another noise and then a man walked around out of our kitchen and into the foyer to face me.

"Hello," he said calmly.

"What are you doing here?" I asked trying to stay calm.

"I live here."

"No, we live here. This is our house."

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Lily."

"Lily?"

"Compton," I said cautiously.

"Compton," I couldn't read his expression which was unusual. What was even more unusual was when I finally let my guard down to peer inside his mind I got a brick wall. Rachel and I were both telepaths, she was also a little clairvoyant. Telepathy wasn't an exact science but I'd never met someone I couldn't even get a flicker from. And then suddenly, like magic, I could hear him thinking about going to see a girl, and how he was worried about her. It was cloudy, a little like listening to the radio in between stations, but it was something.

"Who are you?" I asked finally.

"Bill…Compton."

I gasped. Just then I heard Rachel on the steps. "What is it? Is it a spider? A rat? Oh my gosh if this house has rats…" She walked in. "Who are you? Lily, who is he?"

"He's a vampire," I said. She gasped. "And he's a Compton."

Rachel stood there gawking at him. "Really?" She asked. "Like what is he? How many greats back is that?"

"You used to own this house?" I asked.

"Yes. I built it," He said.

"At least four," I told Rachel.

"Wow."

"I'm sorry I didn't realize Jesse had any heirs. I was told he was the end of his line."

"Jesse Compton was our grandfather. Our mom left us his house when she died."

"Ow!" I heard someone yell. "Fuck. Bill, can I come out now?"

"Yes, Jessica."

A girl that looked a little younger than us came around the corner. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop but I couldn't help it. That's so cool that you guys are related! I'm Jessica by the way."

"Nice to meet you," I said.

"I love your hair," Rachel told her.

"Thanks! Whoa, you two are twins!"

"Yeah." Rachel laughed. "I'm Rachel and that stick in the mud is Lily."

"Thanks Rach for that wonderful introduction," I said sarcastically.

"Hey, do you want to go do something fun?" Jessica asked Rachel.

"There's fun to be had around here? Hell yes."

"I know this awesome vampire bar. It's pretty cool." Jessica stopped and turned to Bill, "Can I take her? Please? I'll introduce her to Pam and Eric."

"I think that's really up to her," Bill said.

"I'd love to go," Rachel said.

"Well what are we waiting for? I don't have all day," Jessica said. Rachel dug through a box and found something to wear then ran upstairs and changed. When she came back down she was wear a little black dress with silver fringe hanging from the neckline. Somehow she managed to pull anything off.

"Bye!" They waved on the way out the door.

Once they were gone everything was quiet and peaceful. I almost forgot Bill was there. When he spoke I jumped about a foot in the air. "You and your sister posses abilities don't you?" I hesitated. "Don't worry. No one is going to hurt you."

"Yes. We can both read minds and Rachel can occasionally see the future."

"My girlfriend, Sookie, is a telepath as well."

"Really? Besides Rachel I've never met another telepath," I had to admit I was a little excited.

"She works at a bar called Merlotte's, would you like to meet her?"

"Yes, of course."

"Are you ready to go now?" He asked.

"Yeah, sure!"

We were getting ready to leave. "Lily, I know you were able to read my mind."

I stopped moving. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I didn't even know what you were yet."

"It's ok, but other vampires won't think so. I'll try to protect you from them."

"Thank you."

"Now, shall we go?"

**Rachel POV**

Jessica pulled up out front of a bar called Fangtasia. "Ready to go?" She asked.

"How do I look?" I asked. She leaned over fixed a smudge on my lipstick.

"Perfect. Now come on!" We walked in and through the main area to the back room. Jess knocked twice.

"Who is it?" A lady asked sounding very bored.

"It's Jessica and a friend."

There was a dramatic sigh. "Come on back." The door opened revealing a vampire.

"Rachel this is Pam. Pam this is Rachel Compton. She's related to Bill."

Pam raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. Eric will want to meet her." She led us back into an office, where a blonde vampire was sitting at a desk. "Eric, this is Rachel Compton. She's related to Bill," Pam said. She turned back to look at me "This is Eric Northman, sheriff of area 5."

He looked up and our eyes met and I was instantly drawn to him. He stood up and walked towards me. He was quite a bit taller than me and I had to look up to see him. He brushed one of my jet black curls behind my ear. He looked behind us at Pam and Jessica. "Leave us," he said. I heard the door open and close and then he was looking back at me again. "There's something special about you," Eric said. "You glow. It's…wonderful."

He leaned towards me and I rose up on my toes. I put one of my hands on his shoulder. When I looked into his eyes again, his expression was intense, almost threatening. For a moment, I thought he maybe he was angry, but before I could say anything he covered my mouth with his in a hungry kiss. I responded immediately, surprising myself, it wasn't every day I kissed someone I'd just met. A picture flashed through my mine and I pulled back quickly. "Someone's about to walk through that door," I told him.

"What?" He asked.

Just then Pam walked in. "You have a call."

"Tell whoever it is, it can wait till tomorrow," He said.

"It's the queen, but I'll go tell her."

"The queen?" I asked.

"We'll finish this later," Eric told me, suddenly distracted.

"Tomorrow?" I suggested.

"I'll pick you up."

He and Pam left. I walked out to the main room and found Jessica who was dancing. "Hey!" She said. I walked over. "What just happened in there?" She asked.

"I have no idea. But I think I'm going on a date with Eric Northman."

**LPOV**

Bill and I walked into Merlotte's and got a table from a sour looking redhead whose name tag read Arlene. "I'll go get Sookie."

"That would be nice, thank you," Bill said.

A blonde walked over. "Hi, Bill. Who's this?" She asked.

"This is Lily Compton; she's one of my descendants. She also has a twin sister Rachel who Jessica has dragged off to Shreveport for the night. Lily, this is Sookie."

"Nice to meet you," I said.

_I'm a telepath like you. _I said letting my guard down so she could read my thoughts. She jumped.

_Oh my goodness! I've only ever met one other person like me…is your sister?_

_Yes and Rachel can tell the future sometimes too. Besides each other we've never met any other telepath's either. _I told her.

_This is just wonderful! _

Bill cleared his throat. "Sorry," Sookie and I said in unison.

"That's quite alright but we don't want people to wonder. Sookie if you don't mind I'd like a Tru Blood O neg please."

"Coming right up. Anything for you Lily?"

I scanned the menu quickly. "I'll take a cheeseburger and a coke."

"Ok. It'll be out as soon as possible." She walked off towards the kitchen.

"She seems nice," I told Bill.

"I'm glad you like her."

She brought my burger out and our drinks. "Hey, Sookie, I was wondering, are there any open waitressing spots? My sister and I could use a job."

"If you stay after closing I'll introducing to the guy who owns the place, Sam. I'm sure he can work something out."

"Thanks."

OoOoO

An hour or so later everyone had finally gone left. I had just finished up my piece of peanut butter pie and was chatting with Bill and vampire politics. I found it weird that vampires had kings and queens but it made sense I guess. They were all so organized and official; at least the ones on TV seemed to be.

"Lily, you ready?" Sookie asked. I nodded and got up.

"I'll wait here," Bill said.

I followed Sookie towards Sam's office. "Hey Sam, this was the girl I was telling you about. The one that's looking for a job."

"Oh nice to meet you, I'm Sam Merlotte," he said. He shook my hand. Sookie ducked back out to the dining room.

"I'm Lily Compton."

"You aren't related to Bill are you?"

"Actually, yes."

"Well that's something. Are you living at the old Compton place?" He asked.

"Yep, Rachel and I."

"Well, Sookie tells me you're looking for a job. I think we could probably start you two tomorrow at the lunch shift."

"That'd be great," I said happily.

"Sookie will be working then so she can show you the ropes. I'll work out a schedule for you by then."

"Alright. See you tomorrow."

"Take care."

I went back out to where Sookie and Bill were talking. "Rachel and I start tomorrow at Lunch."

"That's great. I can stop by and pick you two up if you want," Sookie suggested.

"Yeah, if you don't mind."

"It's no problem. I'll give you a call before I come by."

"Sounds perfect. See you then."


	2. 2 Three Weeks Later

**LPOV**

Rachel and I were going on our third week of work at Merlotte's and I think we both had adjusted well to the town, giving the circumstances. I was becoming friends with Tara Thornton and Sookie's brother, Jason. Who were currently at the bar arguing about something right now. "Tara, aren't you supposed to be working?" I asked.

"Lily! Tell Jason that nine times out of ten he's wrong," Tara said.

"I am not!" Jason said annoyed.

"Really you two?" I looked at them and sat down the tray I had been carrying. "No, it's more like…seven times out of ten."

"Thank you for that vote of confidence, Lil," Jason said."

"Would the two of you please get back to work?" Sam came up behind us. "Jason, stop distracting my employees."

"Sorry, Sam," he apologized.

I ran back out to give Maxine Fortenberry her refill on her iced tea. "Sorry about the wait," I said sitting the glass down on the table and taking away her empty one. I looked up and saw my sister outside with her boyfriend, Eric. Somehow Rachel had already found herself a new guy. She sure did move fast. I put the tray on an empty table behind me and walked outside.

"Oh stop it," I heard Rachel say giggling.

"But it's true. You always look beautiful," Eric told her. I had to admit, as much as I found the idea of my sister dating a vampire a little strange, they looked pretty cute together.

"Rachel," I called getting her attention.

"What?" She snapped.

"Out shift doesn't end for another ten minutes. Make him come inside and order a TruBlood or something." I looked over at Eric who was looking at me like I was something to eat, which I guess I was. The spell of the perfect couple was broken. If he looked away from her for a second he went back to being Eric, but when they were with each other it was like no one else existed. It was sweet and terrifying at the same time.

"Fine, I'll come inside." Of course by the time Rachel had dragged her feet up to the door the alarm on my cell went off telling me my shift was up. Seeing as Rachel had no tables right now she had nothing to tell Holly, her replacement.

"Oh, too bad. Well, see you in the morning, Lil." She and Eric walked back towards the parking lot and I rolled my eyes before going back inside. That's when I got the call from Sookie.

"Sook, what's up?" I answered. I knew Bill was taking her out for some special evening. From what I gathered reading his mind, accidentally I swear, he was going to propose to her.

"It's Bill, he's missing."

"Missing? What do you mean?"

"I went to the restroom and when I came back to our table he was gone and the place was wrecked."

"Oh my god! What should we do?"

"I don't know! Are Rachel and Eric still there?" She asked. I glanced out the window but they were long gone.

"No. Um, I'll go home. Maybe he went back?"

"Maybe." She didn't seem at all convinced and I didn't blame her one bit.

"Meet me there."

"Alright see you in a few."

I hung up and ran out the restaurant without telling Holly about her tables. I jumped in my car and flew down the road. When I got home I opened the door Jess was standing in the entrance to the living room, looking pretty terrible.

"Jess, have you seen Bill?" I asked.

"Nope just me…"

"Are you ok?" I asked.

She smeared blood across her face, she'd obviously been crying for a while. "Just things with Hoyt. I'll be fine," She said. Jessica and I weren't as good friends as she and Rachel had become, so I felt weird discussing her relationships with her.

Sookie walked in looking hopeful. I shook my head. "Bill's been kidnapped," she said told Jess.

"What?" Jessica asked.

"I don't know what happened, but if he comes home call me. Ok? Even if he commands you not to."

"I don't think…"

"Just do it!" Sookie snapped.

"Come on Sookie, we'll drive up to Fangtasia." I sighed. I tried to stay away from Eric as much as possible, and I already seen him once tonight. Thanks to Rachel and Bill keeping their mouths shut, Eric still didn't realize I had any abilities and I wanted to keep it that way.

OoOoO

When we got to Fangtasia, Sookie jumped out and ran inside while I parked. When I got in she was talking to Pam, who I'd met once when she'd come with Eric to the Merlotte's. "Hello Lily," Pam said smiling.

"Is he here?" I asked Sookie.

"No. Where's Eric?" She asked Pam.

"He's a little busy…"

"With Rachel? Wonderful because I need to hear about my sister and her oh-so-interesting love life," I mumbled. Sookie took off and I followed after her, more than a little reluctantly. I walked down the stairs behind Pam.

"Sookie and Lily, what a nice surprise," Eric said turning around revealing my sister who totally naked.

"God Rachel put some clothes on." I said. She glared at me before walking towards her Merlotte's uniform, which was in a pile on the floor, and started getting dressed.

"Well what brings you here tonight?" Eric asked walking towards us. I tried as hard as I could to look at his face.

"Bill's been kidnapped," Sookie told him.

"And knowing you, you probably did it," I added.

"Well I didn't. Anything else while you're here?"

"Where were you tonight?" Sookie asked.

"Picking up Rachel and Merlotte's then I came straight here. Ask Lily," He said looking towards me.

"He did pick her up right at the end of our shift. It was barely dark, he couldn't have had enough time to do it before hand," I said reluctantly.

"Look, it's my duty as the Sheriff of area 5 to look for him so I will. Does that make you feel better?" He asked.

"Alright, fine."

I followed Sookie back up the stairs with Rachel behind me. "Sook, take my car. I'll ride home with Rachel." I tossed her the keys.

"See you tomorrow," She said. I got into the car with Rachel who turned the car on without looking at me.

"What the fuck Lily?"

"What?" I asked confused.

"You barged in there and accused my boyfriend of kidnapping Bill. Why would he do that? I'm dating him. I really doubt he'd do something like that, seeing as he knows that Bill is my family. Not to mention I think he has a thing for Sookie."

"If he has a thing for Sookie why are you fucking him in Fangtasia's basement?" I asked.

"Who I'm with, where we are, and what we're doing there are not any of your business."

It was quiet for a second. "Fangbanger," I mumbled.

"Tonight was the first night he'd ever bit me."

"Really?" I asked skeptically. Bill had told me that my and Rachel's blood smelt different than other humans, even better than Sookie's.

"And we've only had sex twice," she informed me.

"I'm impressed. Did you drink any of his blood?" I asked.

"Maybe a little, not that it's any of your business," she repeated.

I coughed. "You're still a Fangbanger."

"I hate you," she told me. There was a moment of silence before we both burst out laughing.

**RPOV**

I was so tired by the time we got home from driving all around Shreveport looking for Bill that I slept the entire day; luckily I didn't have to work. It was around sunset when I woke up. There was a terrible smell. "Lily? It smells like something is rotting."

"Rachel Compton, I am trying to sleep," Lily said into her pillow. Then she sat up suddenly. "Oh my god, what is that smell!?"

"That's what I just said!" Lily jumped out of bed and ran downstairs. Jessica was just coming out of her hole. "Jess! Do you smell that?" I asked.

"Yeah. I think something died up in my hole under there. I'm going to clean it up tonight. Don't worry about it," she said.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" Lily offered, though I could tell she was hoping she would say no.

"No! I mean, no, I got it." Jessica seemed really weird today. Something was definitely up with her.

"Well we're going over to Sookie's maybe she heard something."

"Yeah, alright. I'll talk to ya'll later."

Lily and I drove over to Sookie's and knocked. She opened the door while she was on the phone. She motioned for us to come in. "Yeah, that's great. If you hear anything just let me know…Alright…Bye" She hung up. "I've been calling around seeing if anyone knows anything," she explained.

"I just got to thinking; I've seen Eric call Pam before, it's this weird vamp thing. But maybe Bill's called Jess," I said.

"Vampires can do that?" Sookie asked.

"Yeah, I guess." I shrugged.

"Let's go back over there," Lily said.

"Oh, let me grab your keys." Sookie ran into the kitchen and came back with Lil's keys. Sookie rode with Lily while I drove my car back to our house. When we walked in Jessica was in the foyer again.

"Hey Jess, has Bill called you? I was thinking Eric calls Pam so maybe Bill called you."

"No. You've been around you know he hasn't," she said shaking her head.

"No, like that way vampires call. Pam gets all shivery and I've seen Eric do it."

"I think last night maybe. I felt real sick…"

"Anything else?" Sookie asked.

"I don't know. Maybe a place."

"My car's big enough for all of us," I said with a sigh. The four of us loaded up in my Nissan Cube and I handed Jess the keys.

OoOoO

We'd been driving for a while when Jess slowed down. "Are you alright?" I asked.

"Feeling sick, like I did last night."

"Look over there. Isn't that Bill's car?" Lily asked pointing out the window. Sookie jumped out of the car and the rest of us followed her.

There was a dead body and Jess found a mark on his neck. "That looks like a rune," I said. Lily gave me a weird look. "What? My boyfriend was a Viking. I've been looking into stuff." I shrugged.

Jess tried to look it up finally she found it. She handed it to me and I read the label on it "Operation Werewolf?"

"Werewolf?" Sookie and Lily asked at the same time.

Lily groaned. "Are there seriously more supernatural creatures out there besides vampires? You have got to be kidding me."


	3. 3 It's Never Nothing

**LPOV**

"I'm done. Find Bill bring him back, but I'm not helping. I'll keep making phone calls but I'm done with all this vampire shit," I told Rachel when we got home.

"Lily, be reasonable."

"I am! I've never wanted to be around vampires and you know that." She started to say something else, but I cut her off. "You are going to drop this," I commanded. I felt a little jolt and Rachel was staring at my blankly.

"I'm going to drop this," she repeated.

"Rach, are you ok?" I asked.

"Yeah fine. I guess I should get going." She said sounding like her normal self again but totally moving on from our argument, completely unlike herself.

**RPOV**

I drove up to Fangtasia where I showed Eric the symbol. He claimed he didn't recognize it. "You're lying," I said.

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. I've been around you enough, you have a tic."

"What is it?" He asked.

"Like I'd tell you. What do you know about werewolves?" I asked.

"Their dangerous," he said simply.

"So are you. What else?"

"They're territorial, vicious, and secretive."

"So exactly like you," I said.

"They're nothing like us," he defended.

"Right. Well Sookie's going to need more than that or she'll end up getting the rest of us in trouble," I rolled my eyes.

"She's human," He said.

"Doesn't mean we're stupid, but we do need your help."

"I'm not talking to you about there weres. I don't want you trying to chase them down, you'll only get hurt."

"You don't know that."

"No, but I'm not risking your life because you want to play brave."

"You've got to give me something. He's my family. He and Lily are the only family I have left." I said sniffing. I didn't cry much but the thought of loosing someone else in my family so soon after my mom made tears come up.

"Don't do that. It makes me feel…human," Eric said.

"If making you feel human will make you help me, then I have no choice," I said trying to stay strong but I really couldn't help crying.

"Do you really want to know about Operation Werewolf?" He asked.

"Yes."

He seemed to go off to some place far away, "It was in Germany in 1945. Godric, my maker, and I were looking for the werewolves that were part of that group, they all had those marks it was the way we could tell. They're killers and we had to take them down. There was a girl we captured; she wanted my blood in exchange for information. Godric told me not to give it to her but I did anyways. I needed to know what she knew. She said that a vampire led the group, and then she attacked me. Godric killed her and that's all the information I was able to get out of her."

"But most vampires killed people, what was so special about those wolves? And please don't say it's because vampires and werewolves are mortal enemies or something cliché like that. What was so special about the werewolves with those marks?" I asked.

"It's a long story. You should get back to Bon Temps," He said.

"Eric-" I started to say something but he cut me off.

"Later." I could tell whatever it was still hurt him to talk about. Eric wasn't big on feelings like grief or sadness. It made him feel human; he wasn't big on being human.

"Ok," I said, letting it go.

"I'll help you, find Bill."

"Thank you." He walked me out to my car and I leaned back against it. He kissed me lightly though I could tell he was still thinking about whatever that memory was. "I'll see you tomorrow."

OoOoO

When I got back to Bon Temps I decided there was no way I was going to be able to sleep so I stopped at Sookie's. Lily's car was parked in the driveway. I knocked on the door. "Hey Rach, your sister is asleep down the hall."

"Oh alright. I don't think I can sleep. I went to talk to Eric, he said he'll help."

"That's great!"

"Can I just hang out here for a while? I don't want to go home."

"Yeah. I told Lily she could sleep here as long as she needed. The whole vampire thing is really messing with her. She'd rather be here than a house any vampire can enter."

"Makes sense."

"I'm doing a little house cleaning if you want to help," she said.

"Yeah that sounds good."

"Well grab a broom."

OoOoO

A few hours later Sookie was getting ready to go to work.

"You think you and Lily will be alright if I leave you here?" She asked.

"Yeah we'll be alright."

"Ok well watch out."

"Yeah you too," I nodded.

OoOoO

Lily woke up eventually, I heard her moving around, but if she ever came out of her room I must've had the TV on too loud because I didn't hear her. When Sookie came home the two of us sat on her couch in silence waiting for something to happen. Then there was a knock at the door. We both jumped and then walked slowly towards the front of the house. I peeked through the curtains on the door I could see Eric. We went outside and he explained to Sookie what he had told me the night before. After he did she went back inside to let us talk.

Eric sighed. "I shouldn't want Bill found, I would be much better off if he disappeared forever but now that these werewolves are coming for you I have no choice. I never wanted to put you in danger."

"I put myself in danger when I decided to stay and live in Bon Temps, and then when I decided to go on a date with you. Do you think life here is easy? My sister has locked herself in her room because of you, I'm pretty sure she hates me. A family member I just met might be dead. Life here is anything but easy."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. I'm stupid."

"You aren't."

"If I was smart I would've gotten out of here the moment I met Bill. I wouldn't be standing here right now. I definitely wouldn't be falling in love with you."

"You make things increasingly more difficult every time I see you."

I sighed. "You ought to get used to it. Are you going to come in?"

"Of course. I've got to protect you from your own stupidity." He smiled.

"Come on. My room is upstairs it's got the best view," I said looking over my shoulder as I walked towards the stairs.

"I'm sure it does," he said grabbing me around the waist.

"Sook's up there too we have to be quiet," I laughed.

"That can happen." He smirked. We were just about to go upstairs when his head snapped towards the living room door and he leaped towards it. A wolf came around the corner and I grabbed the gun Sookie had given me and pulled the trigger. The next few things happened so fast I had no idea what was going on. Eric jumped in front of the bullet. I screamed. The werewolf jumped on Eric. Next thing I knew the were was dead and he was bleeding out all over Sookie's rug.

There were footsteps running down the hallway. Sookie and Lily appeared. "Holy shit," Was all Lily said before retreating back to her room.

"He's bleeding all over my rug," Sookie commented.

"Sorry," Eric said.

I coughed. "Well, um, we'll go get rid of this. Come on Eric." I grabbed a shovel before we went out and Eric slung the guy over his shoulder. We walked out to a place in the woods and Eric started digging. "I thought we were going to talk to him? You saw that mark and freaked. It's got to mean more that what you told me."

"It's nothing."

"If it was nothing you'd be thinking rationally."

"It brings back bad memoires," he said.

"I can tell. But I could've listened to his thoughts," I said.

"Rachel, you don't understand how dangerous werewolves are. When they're had vampire blood their even a challenge for me."

"But-"

"I did what I had to do to protect you."

I sighed. "Well I did hear something about Jackson, isn't that a city somewhere?"

"Jackson Mississippi, he had a Mississippi accent."

"I'm from Colorado I wouldn't know." I shrugged. "I need to go there. Sookie and I need to leave like now! Come with me?"

"I can't. The two of you shouldn't go alone either," Eric said as we walked back to Sook's house.

"Well we aren't just going to sit here."

"I'll figure something out. At least take the day to think about before you rush up there."

"Maybe. If something does happen, you'll feel it won't you?"

"Yes."

"How long will it take you to get to Jackson?" I asked.

"Too long." He paused. "I don't want you to go."

"I have too."

He nodded and kissed the top of my head. "I know."

OoOoO

The next morning Sook and I went to tell Sam that we would be missing a few days of work. Afterwards we went home and I started helping her wash her rug. We had been scrubbing for a while when I heard someone thinking behind us. I grabbed Sookie's arm. We both jumped up and ran into the house. "Wait!" The guy yelled.

He grabbed me. Sookie started trying to pull him off. "Let go of me! I know what you are!"

"I'm not going to hurt you! Eric Northman sent me." I stopped fighting and Sookie stopped tugging. I remembered him saying he'd "figure something out" I guess this was it. "My name is Alcide Hervaux, I'm here to help." He let go of me slowly as if seeing if I was going to freak out again.

"I'll make tea," Sookie suggested. We went into the dining room and Alcide and I sat down.

"I'm Rachel Compton," I said introducing myself. "That's Sookie Stackhouse." I heard some shuffling at Lily appeared around the corner. "That's my twin Lily," I added.

_Wow, she's alive._ I thought to Sookie. Sook snorted and Alcide gave her a weird look.

_Haha very funny. Who's he? _Lily asked.

"This is Alcide Hervaux. He's a werewolf," I said out loud.

"Just when you think you might have a day where you aren't faced with some crazy shit…"

"Nice to meet you, Lily," Alcide said.

She blushed. "Nothing against you. I'm sure you're fine. It's just become a bit much."

"I understand," he nodded. Sookie brought our tea over.

_So, I heard one of ya'll read minds? _Alcide thought.

Lily sighed. "We all do."

_Lily, I kinda thought we were trying to keep that little fact about you on the DL. _I thought at her.

_What's the point? _

_So we could all be having a conversation without me saying anything? _Alcide asked.

"We've been having conversations without you hearing," I said.

"Which is a little rude," Sookie said.

"But yeah we could," I finished.

"Might come in handy," He said.

"So you're taking us to Jackson?" I asked. "Why?"

"My dad owes Eric some money. Plus the only way you're getting to the weres is with my help."

"Well when are we leaving?" I asked.

"Whenever you're ready," He said.

"I just brought a suitcase of clothes over here, I'm ready to go. Sookie?"

"It'll only take me a little bit."

"So while you're both gone do I need to expect any supernatural visitors?" Lily asked.

"There's a gun in my bedside table," Sookie said.

OoOoO

When we got to Jackson it was dark. Sook and I got ready to go to the werewolf bar, Lou Pines. She wore a simple innocent looking outfit and I mirrored her outfit in all dark colors making us look like we had purposely meant to look like an angel and a devil. The look would've been perfect on me and Lily. I found myself wishing Lily was here instead of having a panic attack at home. Sometimes I really wished she could be a bit tougher. We parked outside the bar and walked in. Alcide greeted the door man and got us in.

"Am I not really dressed appropriately?" Sookie asked me.

"Well, I fit in better. You should've let me pick your outfit."

"Next time," She nodded.

"We'll have to split up. If they see you girls with me they won't talk" Alcide told us. "I'll be over there." Sookie took off immediately, but I hesitated. Alcide grabbed my hand and gave it a little squeeze, I looked up at him. "You'll be fine." I nodded and walked towards a group of weres leaning sitting together.

"Have you ever heard of a place in Louisiana called Fangtasia?" I heard Sookie ask.

"You a Fangbanger?" one guy asked.

"We'll there isn't anything sexier than a vampire," I said. The guys all looked me up and down, probably undressing me in their heads. I didn't want to look and find out.

"I don't know," Sookie said. "These guys seem pretty good too, Rachel."

"Yeah, listen to your friend Rach," One guy said.

I walked up to him and touched him. "Why don't we go somewhere so you can tell me about it?"

I got flashes of Bill. _This is the one. _I told Sookie.

"Come on then," the were said.

_Rachel, wait! _I heard Alcide. It was too late for me to heed his warning and the werewolf took me to the back room.

"Where's that vampire?" I asked.

"You don't need any vampires. I've got plenty of vamp blood in me." He started trying to rip my clothes off. I clawed at his face and tried to push him away from him. Alcide grabbed him and pulled him away from me.

Sookie came in behind him. "Are you alright?" she asked sitting next to me.

"I'm fine," I assured her. I could hear the fight happening outside. Then I heard the doorman yelling at everyone. We waited until the yelling stopped before walking out. I stood in the doorway nervously. When Alcide got up he came over to me and Sookie. "Thank you for helping me in there," I told him.

"It's my job."

"Well, thanks anyway."

"Come on, let's get you two out of here."


	4. 4 Down in Mississippi and up to no good

**RPOV**

When we got back to Alcide's apartment I noticed a cut on his back. "Let me help you with that," I said.

"It's nothing. I've got it."

I sighed annoyed. "Sit down. Where's the first aid kit?" He pointed it out and Sookie brought it to me before going to sit in the living room.

"Take off your shirt," I said. He did and I have to admit I was impressed, but now was not the time to be focusing on hot guys. "That were, he had V. He admitted himself."

"Weres don't do V."

"The ones that took Bill did."

I dabbed a bit of alcohol on his back."Ow!"

"Quit squirming or I'll never get done!"

"Well that hurt."

"Sorry. So who's Debbie?" I asked.

"My ex. She moved out a month ago."

"Oh. Do you still talk to her?" I asked putting a bit of pressure on the cut to dry everything.

"No, my sister does though." He looked at me annoyed.

"Almost done, sorry."

Sookie's phone rang in the other room. "Bill?" I heard her ask and ran in there.

"Is it him?" I asked.

She nodded. "Are you alright?" She asked him. "Shut the fuck up." She said a moment later.

"What?" I asked.

"The last time I saw you, you asked me to marry you," she said sounding hurt.

"Is he breaking up with you?" I asked.

"You have to say that. Someone is listening." She told him. I sat down, having no idea what was going on. "Bill. That's not true." She sounded like she was about to cry now. She put down the phone slowly. "He says he loves you and your sister and he'll miss you," Sookie started bawling.

"Did he break up with you?" I asked again. She nodded. I pulled her over to the couch and she lay on me and cried. Alcide came out of his room and stopped.

_Is she going to be ok? _He asked. I shrugged. She cried until she ended up falling asleep. Alcide helped me move her to the bed and the two of us sat on the couch. "How many relationships has she been in?" He asked.

"I'm not sure but my thought is very few." And then it really hit me. Bill wasn't dead but the way he said goodbye pretty much said he never planned on seeing me again. It was almost the same as a family member dying, almost worse. I don't cry much, but family really is my weakness. I tried not to start blubbering but it was extremely hard and eventually I just let the tears come. "I haven't known him long but he's already become like the dad I never had and he said goodbye over the phone, through Sookie," I sniffed through tears.

"Come here." He pulled me over towards him.

"You're really warm. I like it."

He wrapped him arms around me. "It's a were thing. We run hot." I choked out a laugh but it just ended up in more tears. "You can stay in there with Sookie if you want."

"I don't want to go."

"Alright stay here I'll be right back, just let me go put on a shirt."Any other time I would've made a flirty comment but I was too busy crying all my makeup off to even think about it. When he came back I curled up against him and fell asleep on the couch with him still holding me.

OoOoO

When I woke up the next morning I could smell bacon. Bacon is probably the only food that will make me get out of bed, no questions asked. I jumped up and walked in the kitchen. Alcide was standing over the stove cooking. "Are you planning on going back home today?" He asked

I laughed. "There's no way."

"What about Sookie."

"Oh, that's who I'm talking about. Sure I want a proper goodbye at least, but Sookie isn't going to let this go."

He sighed. "Well alright then if she just wants him to hurt her all over again."

"She thinks he's in trouble. I do too. At least I think there's something he's not telling. I'm pretty good at knowing when people are hiding things." Alcide started putting bacon and eggs on his plate.

"I hear you two talking about me," Sookie said coming in. "We're going to that engagement party tonight."

"No fucking way," Alcide said. "You go if you want, don't drag me into this." He walked off.

"Rachel, you coming with me?" Sookie asked.

"After last night? Maybe you should fly this one solo." I walked out after Alcide. "Hey."

"Hey," he said.

"Sorry about Sookie being so set on going to that party. I know you're still hurting about Debbie."

"It's not your fault."

"I know, but I still feel bad. I'm not going to the bar tonight, you don't have to go either."

"Are you really considering letting her go by herself?"

"She might get in a lot of trouble," I said.

"Or worse. We've got go with her."

I sighed. "Of course we do." I grabbed a piece of bacon off his plate. He laughed.

"Do you always steal food from people you just met?" He asked.

"Pretty much, yeah. Plus I feel like I've know you for a long time."

"I feel the same way about you," he said. I smiled then grabbed another piece.

OoOoO

Later Alcide had to go out and so sent his sister Janice over. There was a knock and I answered the door. "You must be Janice."

"And you must be Rachel. You're gorgeous!"

"Thanks, this is Sookie."

"Aw cute," she said.

_Should I be offended that I' m only cute and you're gorgeous? _ Sookie asked.

_Nope. _I responded.

"You are just what my brother needs right now," Janice said walking around me playing with my curls.

"We aren't dating. I have a boyfriend," I said. She gave me one of those looks that said she thought she knew everything about my life. "Well, we need to fit in at Lou Pines. Sookie obviously needs more help than me."

She looked us both over and nodded. "Yup."

"I want to look like I can kick some serious ass. Which I can." Sookie said. I snorted and Sookie glared at me.

Janice picked up a book of temporary tattoos and sat down next to me. The two of us flipped through trying to find the perfect ones. "So there's no way you and Alcide-"

"Like I said, I'm in a relationship."

"That's too bad."

OoOoO

That night Sookie and I went to Lou Pines in the perfect disguises. I'd had to borrow some pants from Janice but I had a top that worked perfectly. She had put tattoos all over both of us and I had my always curly hair straightened with several different purple clip ins. Alcide was there too of course, watching out for us. I spotted the guy Alcide had gotten into a fight with yesterday and we went over to talk to him. He didn't seem to remember us, which was good. Sookie and I did shots and some of the guys were cheering us on. Then some girl came up. "Who the fuck are you?" She asked us.

"They're with me Debbie," Alcide said coming up behind her. So this was Debbie. She wasn't as pretty as I thought she'd be and her hair needed some serious work. Alcide tried to talk some sense into her but of course she wouldn't listen, they never do.

"And what about this skank you brought?" Debbie looked directly at me.

"That's a little like the pot calling the kettle black, don't you think?" I asked.

"Rachel," Alcide warned.

"You did not just try to start something with me at my own party."

_Actually yes. Yes I did. _I thought.

_Calm down. _Sookie told me.

"Alcide came here tonight because he thinks that the girl you used to be is still there some place," Sookie said taking over. Coot, Debbie's fiancé, showed up and he and Debbie started making out right in front of us.

And being me, whose motto is something along the lines of act now, think later, obviously I had to one up her. I pulled Alcide towards me and kissed him. Sookie, Debbie, Coot and Alcide were totally caught off guard. I pulled back and smirked at Debbie who looked incredibly pissed, I might pay for that later but right now it felt damn good.

_You do not know how to play it safe at all. _Sookie said. I was getting ready to say something when she cut me off. _Coot is one of the weres who took Bill. _We didn't have any time to talk about it before another guy came on stage. Debbie reached the stage at about the same time as him. Alcide told us the man was Russell Edgington. Russell popped out his fangs and poured the wolves shots of his own blood.

"Oh my god," I said. Then werewolves started shifting all around us.

"What's going on?" Sookie asked. She grabbed my arm. "Come on!"

"Go Rachel!" Alcide said. When he turned around his eyes were red. Sookie pulled me by my arm out of the bar. We got in Alcide's car and just sat there shocked. Alcide came running out a few seconds later and got in next to me.

"What just happened?" Sookie asked.

"When the energy gets going it's hard not to shift." Alcide was driving faster and faster.

"Alcide, slow down right now!" I yelled.

He pulled off the road. "I'm sorry," he said.

"It's ok, I understand. I'm sorry about Debbie."

"That vampire, Russell, he must know where Bill is. I have to talk to him," Sookie said. I nodded in agreement.

"You're insane," Alcide told us.

"Vampires are sort of our specialty," I said.

"I told Eric that I would keep you safe."

OoOoO

That night I was sitting in bed when I heard shouting in the living room. I got up to see what was going on. "Where are you going?" Sookie asked.

"To make sure everything is ok. You stay in here," I told her.

When Debbie saw me she freaked out. "That little skank is living here now? You're fucking my wolf in my house?" She asked taking a step towards me. Her brain was flashing so many images at me, her heightened emotions making it easier to read her mind.

"Just like you did with all those other guys while you were with Alcide, right here in this apartment," I smirked. She lunged at me and Alcide grabbed her. "No I'm not sleeping with him, you crazy bitch. But you went and traded him for someone that isn't even half the man Alcide is, it's really not any of your business who he's fucking now." After Debbie left and Sookie had gone back to sleep Alcide and I were sitting on the couch again. "I'm sorry about that," I said.

He laughed. "I understand. You were just sticking up for yourself. You might've been a little more careful though. Debbie can get pretty out of hand."

"Sookie says I don't know how to play it safe, she's right."

He sighed. "Debbie's just gotten so messed up."

"She's crazy if she thinks that Coot and some vampire blood is a good trade for you. You love her and you're everything a girl could want. You're sweet and funny and you're sexy as hell."

"You think so?"

"Of course I do. How could I not?"

"You kissed me tonight," He said.

"I'm sorry. It just kind of happened."

"Don't apologize. I needed that. For a minute I wasn't thinking about Debbie. It made me think that maybe I can get over her."

"I could do it again," I said. I looked up at him and met his eyes. He leaned towards me pressing me into the couch and kissed me. His hand slid up my shirt and I broke the kiss long enough to take it off. I unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it back off his shoulders. I ran my fingers over his abs. He tugged on the belt loop on my jeans. He stopped and looked at me. Eric only crossed my mind for a millisecond before I nodded.

OoOoO

The next morning Alcide took Sookie and I to see the pack leader. He wasn't happy that Alcide had told two humans about them. Three really, but who's counting?

"We just came to tell you what we saw," I said.

"I already knew about it," he told us.

"Then you've got to be planning something," Sookie said.

"Do nothing, and don't tell anyone," He said.

"But Russell-" I started to say.

"He's the king of Mississippi. He's had a group of werewolves serving him for thousands of years." And then it all seemed to fall into place for me. If this Russell guy had had a group of weres for that long, and he was the guy giving those weres the marks that Eric was so freaked out about, then this had to do with Eric's past. Not just the last several decades but all the way back. I wished that he was around so I could talk to him about it, it would just have to wait until I got back to Bon Temps.

I sighed. "Alcide, let him go. He's scared out of his mind."

"Bullshit." The pack master said. He jumped in his car and left.

"That was true," I mumbled.

"I know I trust you," Alcide said putting his hand on my arm.

OoOoO

That night back at Alcide's apartment Sookie and I were getting ready for bed. "Rachel, Sookie!"

We went into the living room and there was Bill. "Oh my god!" I ran towards him and he hugged me.

"The two of you have to leave," He said.

"What? Is that all you have to say?" Sookie asked.

"It isn't safe for either of you here," He said.

"Well come with us," I said.

"I can't, it's too late."

"But Eric could come. He'd help," I said. I felt a little guilty offering Eric's help after what I'd done the night before.

"Eric is here."

"In Jackson?" I asked surprised and a little worried. What if he'd felt what was going on last night? Bill nodded.

"Now you have to get out of here." He looked at Alcide, "Get them out of Jackson as fast as you can."

"I will."

I got a flash of someone about to enter the building. "Guys we need to leave now," I said.

"Wait!" Sookie yelled. "I'll leave but you have to tell me why."

"Sookie! Come on!" I yelled. The images were getting stronger, they were about to come upstairs. And then someone burst through the door. Bill started fighting one of the vampires and Coot knocked Alcide to the ground. The other vampire was Russell Edgington.

"Grab the girls," he told Coot. We were cornered. Coot lunged after us and Sookie shot him with an energy burst out of her hand. Russell Edgington started laughing. "This is perfect." He looked at me. "Oh you must be Rachel. I'm sure Eric will be pleased to see you."

"He won't be very happy that you kidnapped me," I said

"We'll see about that."


	5. 5 Two Can Play At That Game

**RPOV**

Bill, Sookie and I were dragged into Russell's mansion. I saw Eric coming around the corner. The vampire that was holding me pushed me away and Eric grabbed me. "Are you ok?" He asked.

I nodded. "Eric, what's going on?" He didn't answer. Two seconds later I was standing alone and I looked up to see him blocking Sookie from Bill.

"Eric, get them out of here. Please," Bill cried.

Eric took Sookie to Russell. "I don't know what she is but it's quite valuable."

"What about the other one?" Russell asked looking at me. "I didn't see her do anything particularly interesting."

Eric looked at me intently, but I had no idea what he was trying to tell me. I wished for the first time that I was my sister, so I could read his mind. "She's valuable as well. I wouldn't get rid of either of them." He was giving me up to Russell. Why? Russell grabbed me and brought me over to where he'd been standing with Eric and Sookie. I looked at Eric hoping to see something that would explain why he would just give me away to some crazy man like this. "I've only tasted this one. She's extraordinary." He seemed to hesitate. "I bet Sookie would be even better." I knew that was a lie. I'd heard from both Bill and Eric that my blood smelt twice as good as Sookie's. I was completely confused.

"What are you going to do with, Bill?" A woman vampire asked Russell.

_Who's that? _I asked Sookie.

_Lorena, Bill's maker. _She told me.

"You are going to kill him," Russell told her.

"No!" Sookie screamed. Even Lorena looked like she didn't want to do it.

"Eric, take the girls into the library," Russell told him. We were led through the double doors of the library.

"Eric, are you really giving us to Russell?" Sookie asked.

"No one crosses the king of Mississippi and lives," He said.

"I know about the wolves with the marks," I said. He stopped. "They killed your family, didn't they? Your human family is the one thing you won't ever talk about."

"We'll talk about it later," He said.

"Eric, there isn't going to be a later. At least not for me." I paused. "Russell is the leader of that pack, but you know that already don't you? That's why you're here."

"Stop talking Rachel," Eric said.

"What about all that stuff about caring about me and not wanting to see me get hurt?" I asked my voice rising. He stared at me again trying to make me understand something. I could tell I was beginning to unravel his plan. I wouldn't stand in the way of whatever he wanted to do but I wanted to stir Sookie up to make him nervous. Maybe you didn't cross Russell and live, but you certainly didn't get out scot free if you crossed me either.

"Rachel, you mean nothing to me," He said. Even though I thought he was lying it still hurt to hear him say it. He turned away from me and started pacing across the room.

"Yeah? Well, I don't care much about you either. I had sex with a werewolf." He stopped suddenly and looked at me. Just like that, cold and callous Eric was gone. "I'm sorry. Not that you would care, since I mean nothing to you. Right?" I asked tauntingly. The two of us were going to have a lot to talk about if we made it out of here alive.

Russell Edgington came in before Eric could say anything else to me. "Sorry to have kept you waiting." He waved Eric away, "Leave us." Eric walked out, pausing to look at me over his shoulder. I looked away.

"Now Ms. Compton, Ms. Stackhouse, I have a few questions for you."

"I have some questions too," Sookie said.

Russell laughed. "Alright well go ahead."

_Please don't ask about vampire politics. _I told her. I just had a flash of Sookie asking some very stupid questions that I could answer easily. Obviously Bill never taught Sookie about the vampire hierarchy like he had me and Lily.

"Are you the king of all vampires?" Sookie asked. I groaned internally.

"No, just the king of Mississippi. What are the two of you?" He asked.

"My parents we're human," I said.

"Same here."

"How do you know they were really your parents?" He asked.

"My grandfather was like me," Sookie said.

"Which is?"

"We can read people's minds," I said.

"Shifter and weres too but not vamps," Sookie added. But Lily can.

"Is Lorena really going to kill Bill?" Sookie asked.

"If she's smart. What are you besides a telepath?"

"I'm clairvoyant, a little at least. I'm not very good at it, I can only see a few minutes into the future most times," I told him.

"Well, that is interesting. That's all I need tonight. I have places to be. I'll have someone show you to your room."

OoOoO

The next morning we were in our room sitting in silence. Then I got a flash of someone coming down the hall. "Tara is here. Sookie, grab the vase, stand over there by the door." She did what I said. I grabbed another small statue that was heavier than it looked.

The door swung open. "Look at that, stupid werewolves, you must've fallen asleep and let her escape," Tara said.

"I did not!" He walked into the room and Sookie and I hit him. He pushed us back and Tara kicked his legs out from underneath him. I hit him over the head to knock him out.

"Come on you two!" Tara grabbed us and pulled us down the hall.

"I'm going to go to try and find Bill. You two go try to get help," Sookie said. Sookie ran one direction while Tara and I ran towards the gates. We cut through the trees so people wouldn't see us and ran right into one of the wolves.

"Shit!" Tara took off.

"Tara, wait! He's on our side," I called after her. The wolf shifted and Alcide stood up.

"Thank god you're ok," He said. I hugged him. Tara stopped running and looked at us. "I'm a good guy," Alcide told her.

She walked towards us. "You got a car?" She asked.

"Yeah," she said.

"Good, we're going to need it," I told him.

OoOoO

We pulled up outside the old slave quarters where Tara said they were keeping Bill. I jumped out of the truck and ran in. "Oh god is he all right?" I asked.

"He's in really bad shape. But he's not dead yet."

"Ok." I turned to Alcide. "Help me wrap him up."

"Rachel, we don't have enough time," Alcide told me.

"I'm not leaving him here!" Sookie said.

Sookie and I started wrapping him up in a rug. I saw Debbie pushing through the door and groaned. "Debbie is here." A few moments later she flew through the door. "Those feeling really could happen a few seconds earlier."

"Hey, skank," Debbie said to me. She was pointing a gun at us.

"Hey, whore," I answered.

Alcide stood up. "Let them go Debbie."

"I'm the one with the gun here," She said pointing it at him.

"You aren't a killer Debbie," He said.

"I was listening in and she's really not misrepresenting herself," Sookie said. Debbie swung the gun wildly towards Sookie.

"Debbie!" Alcide said. She turned back to him. "I'm sorry."

"It's too fucking late to be sorry!" She yelled. Then Sookie screamed, distracting Debbie before she could shoot. Tara jumped on Debbie and started fighting her.

Coot ran through the door. "What the fuck is going on?" He yelled. He lunged at me and Alcide shot him. Debbie screamed and jumped down towards his body.

"Come on Sookie. Help me get Bill," I said. Sookie, Tara and I grabbed Bill and got out. We put Bill in the back of Alcide's truck and Sookie made us close her in there.

"We gotta go," Alcide said. The three of us jumped in the cab of the truck. I could hear wolves howling behind us.

OoOoO

Once we were on the road I relaxed a little. "Tara are you ok?"

"No, I'm not fucking ok."

"Well, you're away from that place now. You're alright." I wasn't sure what to say to her. She and I weren't that close, she disapproved of my relationship with Eric. If Lily was here she would surely know what to say to Tara.

"Yeah, I guess."

"We should pull over and check on Sookie," I said.

We pulled over and Tara and I hopped out. I walked around and knocked on the back. There wasn't an answer. "Sookie?" I called. Still nothing.

"Open it!" Tara said. I nodded. I pulled open the door. Sookie was lying on the floor of the truck not moving.

Tara threw Bill out of the back and into the sun. I jumped in the back with the Tara. "We have to get to a hospital," I said. Alcide shut the door and a few seconds later we were moving.

OoOoO

When we got to the hospital they the doctors took Sookie to the back. They put the three of us in the waiting room. Tara was pacing and I started crying. Alcide held me until my sobbing quieted down. A doctor walked in. "Ms. Thornton, Ms. Compton," She said.

"How is she?" I asked standing up.

"She lost a lot of blood."

"Did you give her a transfusion?" I asked.

"We tried but," the doctor hesitated, "your friend doesn't have a blood type."

"Everyone has a blood type," Alcide said. Except for people like me and Sookie.

OoOoO

A few hours later we were in her hospital room. Jason, Lafayette and Lily had just shown up from Bon Temps. Jason was refusing to make any decisions about Sookie. Tara and I stood by Sookie. "How can Sookie not have a blood type?" She asked me.

"I think, people like us, whatever we are, we're different." I looked at Lily.

"Like mind readers?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, but I think it's something more. We aren't just mind readers; I think it's a whole other supernatural race," I tried to explain.

Jason walked over to Sookie and grabbed her hand. "You can't leave me Sook, I need you."

Lily walked over and touched Sookie's arm and gasped. She collapsed; Lafayette managed to catch her before she hit the ground. "What the fuck?" Lafayette said.

I could hear something, just barely coming from Sookie. It sounded like she was having a conversation with someone. "No fucking way." I reached out and touched Sookie and was instantly taken away from the room.

I was in another place. It looked like the hospital but it obviously wasn't. Sookie was sitting up in bed talking to Lily. They were both wearing beautiful dresses. When I looked down I realized I was wearing one too.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"I don't know," Sookie shrugged.

"We could look around," I suggested.

"This is weird," Lily mumbled.

"You think you'd be used to weird by now," I said.

Sookie climbed out of bed. "Come on you two; let's go see what's happening." We walked down the hallway; it was covered with rose petals. There was a door at the end of the hallway that opened to a beautiful garden. People were running around playing, or sitting and talking. They all looked so happy and they were all wearing beautiful clothes.

"Girls," A voice said behind you. "Welcome."

"Do you know us?" Lily asked.

"Of course. I'm Claudine," she introduced herself.

She poured us all a cup of glowing water and served us. "It's delicious," I said.

"It's the best thing I've ever tasted," Sookie agreed.

Everyone around us was dancing. "Can we dance?" Lily asked.

"We can always dance," Claudine said.

"I knew you were going to say that," I said.

"And I knew you'd say that. Come." She stood up and we all joined her dancing around the pond.

"This is so much fun!" I said. We spun around and danced and danced. The hours seemed to go by.

"Don't go back. You all could come with us," Claudine said to us.

"Where?" Lily asked.

"Our home, your home. It's more amazing than you could ever know."

"Well I don't know…" Sookie said.

"You'll love it! I promise." It began to get very dark and everyone stopped dancing. "Everyone, the dark is coming. Go!"

"What's going on?" Sookie asked

"Girls come with us. Those vampires will steal your light."

"We just met you! We aren't going anywhere with you," I said grabbing my sister and Sookie's arms.

"Don't let them take your light," Claudine said before jumping into the pool and disappearing with the others. Everything went dark.

When I woke up Alcide was holding me. He was asleep but woke up when I started moving. "Rachel, you're alright."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Lily was sitting up too and so was Sookie. When Sookie saw Bill next to her she started screaming.


	6. 6 If You Love Me Then Why Are You Dying?

**RPOV**

Sookie wanted us to leave so she could talk to Bill. After a few minutes Bill came out with blood tears running down his face. Lily and I got up and he hugged us both. "I'm glad you're alright," Lily told him.

"I'll see you two when you get home," he said.

"Ok," I said.

"It would probably be best if you moved in with Sookie, for her benefit and yours."

"Are you kicking us out?" Lily asked surprised.

"No, it would just be better if you lived with her."

"Fine," I said, a bit annoyed. "We'll come by and get our things tomorrow."

OoOoO

Alcide drove Sookie, Lily and I back to Bon Temps. "I'm just going to go to sleep, I'm exhausted," Lily said.

Sookie looked at me and Alcide. "Yeah I'm pretty tired too. I'll see you in the morning Rach."

We went into the living room and sat down. "I hope Sookie is ok," I said.

"I think she's stronger than she looks," Alcide said.

"No kidding."

"What happened with you, Lily and Sookie at the hospital?"

"I don't know, it didn't really make any sense," I told him. "If you need to get back to Jackson you can go."

"I'm not leaving the three of you alone right now."

"Well Lily and I kinda have all the rooms filled up right now."

"That's ok. I can sleep on the couch." He looked at me. "Are you ok? Everyone is worried about Sookie, but she isn't the only one that went through a lot."

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" He asked. I shook my head. "Come here." I lay down on the couch with him and he held me until I fell asleep just like that first night in Jackson.

OoOoO

The next morning Alcide got a call from Janice. Debbie's pack had burned down Janice's hair salon. "Sorry," I said.

"It's not your fault, Debbie has always been crazy. I need to get back to Jackson."

"Yeah, I understand."

"You could come with me," he said hopefully.

"I'd love to, but I can't leave Sookie and Lily."

"What about Russell?" He asked.

"I can't go on the run. Plus, that's all the more reason can't leave them."

"I guess I can't tell you what's best for you."

"If I knew what was best for me, I would've fallen in love with someone like you. I don't know how to do what's best, but I do know what's right."

"I'll miss you, Rachel."

I hugged him. "You'll see me again," I promised.

"I hope so."

OoOoO

Later that afternoon I had my shift at Merlotte's. When I came home Sookie and Lily were talking to some girl in her kitchen. "Hey," I said when I walked in.

"Oh, Rachel you're home. This is my cousin Hadley."

"Nice to meet you," I said.

"I didn't come to visit. I've got a message from Eric Northman. He says Russell is coming for you, don't trust Bill. I've got to go."

"Go where? Hadley, wait!" Sookie jumped up.

"You should get out of here! They're gonna kill you, or worse." She ran out the door and drove away.

"We need to get ready. If they're coming we need to be ready to fight," Lily said.

OoOoO

"If Debbie is here tonight, I call dibs." I said. Sookie and I went upstairs; Lily was with Bill and Jessica downstairs. That's when we heard the door burst open. There were footsteps on the stairs, followed by banging on the door. Then Debbie kicked it open. "I don't want to kill you," I said. "Actually that's a lie; Alcide would be so much better off if you weren't around. But Alcide does still love you, for whatever reason, so I'll try not to."

"Bitch, do not talk to me about love. It's not like you know anything about it." She grabbed my gun and I pulled back and it ended up falling to the ground. Sookie hit Debbie and Debbie hit her back. I shoved Debbie into the door and she threw me to the ground. Sookie jumped on her and Debbie grabbed my arm pulling me with them. I couldn't see who I was clawing and really hoped it was Debbie's face. I managed to roll away and grab the gun. Sookie grabbed a pair of scissors and sliced Debbie's cheek. I pointed the gun at Debbie. She stood up.

"Get the fuck out of our house, bitch," I said.

"Fuck you."

I shot the wall behind her. "Next time that'll be you," I said. She snarled it was a really creepy sight with that gash across her cheek. She turned around a dove out the window. "Damn, I really hoped she would stay so would have had an excuse to shoot her in the face." Bill came up stairs. "I'll leave the two of you alone," I said. As I was going down the hall I saw a flash of Eric walking into Fangtasia.

I walked down stairs and saw Lily. "Where are you off to?" She asked.

"Fangtasia, I just got a flash. Eric is back, and the two of us have a lot of talking to do."

"Oh. Rach, I don't want you to think I'm calling you a slut but I'm going to ask anyway, did you sleep with Alcide?"

"Yeah, I did. And I already told Eric, so there's no need to lecture me. That's one of the things he and I need to talk about."

"Oh alright. Well...see you in the morning."

OoOoO

When I got to Fangtasia everything was closed up. I used my key and went through the staff entrance in the back. I could hear people talking in the main room and stopped. I pushed the door open a bit and listened. I could hear that vampire that's always on TV, Nan Flannigan, talking to Eric. I couldn't hear what either of them was saying from this far away. Then I heard Ginger scream. I pushed the door open and stepped into the room.

Pam was in front of me in a second. "Now is not really the time Rachel," she said.

"I need to talk to Eric," I said.

"Like I said, now is not really the time."

"Is that the girlfriend? Might as well let her in, as long as she isn't going to start screaming too," Nan said.

Pam sighed and stepped aside. I ran over to Eric. "Are you alright?" I asked.

"I'm fine, go over there with Pam." He wouldn't look at me so I turned and walked towards Pam.

"What'd you do to piss him off?" Pam asked.

I leaned against the bar next to her."I fucked a werewolf."

She laughed. "That's just peachy."

"What's with Eric?" I asked.

"He killed Talbot. And the Magister is dead too, he didn't do that one," Pam said.

"He killed Russell Edgington's boy toy? Nice, one family for another. Now they're even." Pam was looking at me funny. "What? I know things." I hopped up into one of the barstools to listen to Eric talk to the Authority. I listened as he talked about Russell and his werewolves through the ages. And then he told them about his family. How Russell killed them all. "I knew it," I whispered.

"Bring in a couple of extra coffins," Nan told her people. "You're on lock down until the Authority makes their decisions." She left without another look at any of us.

"Looks like we have plenty of time to talk," Eric said looking at me.

"She can't mean I'm on lockdown too," I said.

"No, but this might be the last time you get to talk to me."

"She's not going to kill you," I said.

"She might. I'm sorry about everything in Jackson. I really was trying to protect you but I had to get my revenge, you understand."

"Of course I do. I just wish you'd told me. And I'm sorry about the werewolf."

"I know. I'm not mad at you."

"Good. Do you really think they'll kill you?" I asked.

"I don't know."

**LPOV**

I was at Sookie's pacing around unsure what to do with myself when I saw Sookie on the couch flipping through an album. "What are you looking at?" I asked.

"Just an old family photo album." I walked in the room and sat down with her. There were a lot of old newspaper clippings about the Stackhouse family. A few were about her Grandfather saying he had a sixth sense, like us. Then Sook's phone rang. "Hello?" She answered. "Well they came, they went and I'm still alive….Where are you?" After she hung up she turned to me. "Want to go to the aquarium?"

OoOoO

An hour later we were walking into the Munroe Aquarium. I followed Sookie in. We saw Hadley with a little kid. "Oh my god," Sookie said.

Hadley walked towards us. "I took him out of daycare. I didn't tell his dad."

"You're going to lose him if you don't take him back!" Sookie said.

"I haven't seen him in over a year!" Hadley said.

"Where've you been?"

"I got involved with a vampire, the vampire queen of Louisiana, Sophie-Ann"

"You've got to be kidding me," I said.

"Hunter, come meet your aunt Sookie," Hadley called. "I need to know if he's like you."

_Who are these people? Where's my daddy._ He was thinking.

"Come sit with us for a second," Sookie said.

_Which fish is your favorite? _I stared at me.

_It's ok. _Sookie said. _No one knows but us. _

_I like the blue one. _He said.

_Me too. _I said. I looked over at Hadley and she ran over and grabbed Hunter and pulled him away. "That poor little boy," I said.

**RPOV**

I had been drifting in and out of sleep all day. Every time I'd woken up enough to look around Eric had still been awake. "You need to sleep." I told him at one point.

"I'm fine."

"You've got the bleeds," I pointed out.

"I'm fine."

"I guess it's almost sunset?"

"Yes."

"Pam will be waking up soon. She'll get on to you for not sleeping," I walked over to his desk.

"I'm fine."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever."

Pam's coffin opened and saw him sitting at his desk. "Did he sleep at all?" She asked me.

"No," I said.

"I'm fine," he said for what seemed like the twentieth time.

"Stop saying that before I throw something at you," I said.

"Fine." I rolled my eyes. "Whatever the Authority decides I don't want you taking any of the blame," Eric told Pam. "And I don't want you to tell them anything you know about Russell's werewolves, Rachel."

"But what if it helps you stay alive?"

"I am not letting you drag yourself into this," he said.

"I've been with you 100 years and you never told me about your family," Pam said.

"You didn't know?" I asked surprised.

"She didn't need to. Neither did you," Eric said.

"You didn't need to go through all that alone," Pam said.

"I was the only survivor, the burden was mine alone."

"It can't be over this quickly," I said.

"Everything ends."

"Vampires are supposed to live forever."

"Even immortals must end," he said. He turned to Pam, "If I die, you must make another vampire." He looked at me and so did Pam. Me and Pam both started crying. I tried to imagine eternity without Eric, I didn't want to. "They're here," Eric said. "Rachel you stay in here."

I nodded at sat down again. I wiped my eyes and tried to calm down. They were only gone for a few minutes. "What did she say?" I asked when they came back in.

"They're pretending like none of this ever happened. I'm supposed to take care of Russell off the radar." Eric said.

"They aren't going to kill you! That's great!" I said.

"But Russell might," Eric said.

**LPOV**

I was at Jason'swith Sookie when Bill knocked on the door. "Where have you been?" Sookie asked after inviting him in.

"It felt like I was only gone a few minutes…"

"What are you talking about?" I asked him.

"Lily, I know what you are."


	7. 7 Vampires, Werewolves & Faries Oh My!

**LPOV**

"We're faeries?" I asked skeptically.

"That has got to be the lamest thing I've ever heard," Sookie said.

"You've only part faerie. Lily, you and you're sister have more faeire blood that Sookie. Claudine believes that your father was fae."

"Well damn. I've spent the last several years staying away from supernatural beings when I'm one myself," I mumbled.

"Claudine is afraid for you all, and with a good reason," Bill said,

"What reason?" Sookie asked

"Every supernatural person I've ever know believes the fae were wiped out by vampires years ago."

"Why does everyone say that?" I asked.

"According to legend faire blood is intoxicating to vampires. And Sookie, you're blood is the most delicious I have ever tasted."

"I have a question," I said."Do we glow?"

"Well I never really thought about that but yes a bit. Why?" Bill asked.

"Rachel told me that Eric said she glowed. I was just wondering. I guess we do have a Light in a literal sense. That's interesting, I guess."

**RPOV**

Eric was making a will. Pam and I weren't happy about it. "Why are you doing this?" Pam asked.

"Because Russell Edgington is maybe the oldest and strongest vampire on the planet not to mention the craziest, I'm covering all my bases."

"You aren't even going to put up a fight?" I asked.

"Of course I will. I just need to come up with a plan."

"Is there anything you want to leave specifically to another person?" The lawyer asked.

"Yes. I have a Viking crown I wish to leave to Rachel Caroline Compton."

"Your father's crown?" I asked.

"You were the first to know. It's only right that you have it after I'm gone."

"Too bad you won't be going anywhere," I said.

Eric sighed. "I should get you home."

We drove back to Bon Temps. "They're at Jason's," I told him.

We pulled into the driveway and knocked. Bill answered. "Did you tell him where we were?" Bill asked me.

"I didn't know it was a secret."

"Let's take a walk," Eric said. Bill, Eric and I walked into the woods.

"Rachel, I just recently found out, you are a faeire. After doing a bit of digging today I believe your father was fae," Bill told me.

"A faeire. Really?" I sighed. "I guess that's better than nothing."

"Is it true faeire blood lets you walk in the sun?" Eric asked Bill. Bill looked at Eric surprised."Oh did Sophie-Ann not tell you why she was after Sookie?" Eric asked.

"You came to Bon Temps for Sookie?" I asked.

"No, I came back because it was my home."

"Oh spare us both your lying. I can see right through you," Eric said.

"Sookie is mine," Bill said.

"I'm not interested in Sookie," Eric told him.

"Does faeire blood really let you walk in the sun?" I asked Bill.

"For a few seconds, that's it."

"But Sookie's blood is only a little fae. I'm half."

"I suppose it might work longer with you," Bill said.

"Did you go outside after you drank from me?" I asked Eric.

"I had no reason to," Eric said.

"Why are you here Eric?" Sookie said coming into the woods. "Is it so you can sell me out to Russell or is it the queen?"

"Sookie, you don't know anything," I said.

"I know Eric isn't at all trust worthy," she said.

"Believe what you want. I won't be here much longer anyway," he told her.

_Rach, what is he talking about? _Sookie asked. I ignored her.

"Let's get out of here," I told him.

OoOoO

We had been back at Fangtasia for quite a while. "You've been distant since we got back from Jackson. It isn't about Alcide is it?"

"No, I forgive you. But how can you forgive me, how can you still trust me?" Eric asked.

"Because I love you. You still don't get that do you?"

"How could you love someone like me?"

"Love is irrational. And stupid, really _really_ stupid."

He laughed. "I've always had people l love; Pam, Godric. But being in love is different. Maybe love is stupid."

He kissed me. I pull back for a second. "Wait does that mean you love me?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Just making sure." I grabbed his shirt and pulled him towards me to kiss him again. Then Pam opened the door, I sighed.

"What?" Eric asked.

"Blah blah vampire emergency blah. Also Sookie is here." Sookie walked in. Eric walked out with Pam and I leaned against the door to listen in.

"Give Sookie up. Save yourself," Pam said.

"No," Eric said. "Rachel would never forgive me."

"You're choosing Rachel over yourself?"

"Yes." There was a silence.

"If you won't give Sookie up at least figure out how to use her."

"What's going on out there?" Sookie asked.

"Nothing," I lied.

"Then why are you hiding your thoughts?" She asked.

"Why are you trying to look inside my head?" I asked.

Eric came in. He picked Sookie up and she started kicking and screaming. "Rachel! Don't just stand there, help me!"

"Sorry Sook. Forgive me, but if I remember correctly you risked all of us to save Bill. I think this is pay back."

"I hate you, Eric! I hate both of you!"

"Oh, you'll get over it," I said.

OoOoO

I needed to eat. When you hang out around vampires as much as I did you kinda forget that you need to eat. It seemed like I hadn't eaten in a few days and maybe I hadn't. I drove out to Wendy's for a burger and a chocolate frosty shake and when I got back Pam was chained up with silver. "Well don't just stand there! Unchain me!"

I walked over and started unwrapping her. "I guess Bill came and got Sookie?"

"Yes. But don't worry, Eric will track them down."

"Do you know what his plan is yet?" I asked.

"No. Eric wouldn't tell me."

"Of course he wouldn't. Well hopefully whatever it is works."

"You know having you around sure makes things difficult. I've never seen Eric like this. It's terrible. He doesn't show human feelings, ever. When he's around you he turns to mush."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, it's that damn glow."

I rolled my eyes. "There almost here," I said.

"Did you get a "flash"?" she asked.

"Yes I got a flash."

"That's a really stupid name."

"Yeah but premonition or vision just sounds too corny. Flash is quick and easy."

"Hm, I guess that is a point."

Sookie and Russell came in. "Ms. Compton, wonderful to see you again."

OoOoO

Eric had explained everything about Sookie to Russell. Apparently Russell wasn't smart enough to figure out that that also applied to me, or even if he did he was too focused on Sookie to worry about me. But he didn't believe it anyway. "You've seen the light thing yourself," I said.

"I must admit, that was intriguing. I've never seen that before. But why wouldn't vampires know about faeries running around?" Russell asked.

"She isn't full fae only a hybrid," Eric said. "Her blood will let you walk in the sun."

"That's just crazy!" Sookie said. "Rachel, how can you not think Eric is crazy?"

"Actually Sookie it's true," Bill said.

"What?" She asked surprised.

"Bill has experienced it for himself," Eric said.

"I'm intrigued," Russell said.

"Excellent," Eric said.

"But you have to go first."

Eric hesitated for a millisecond. "I'd love to," He said smiling.

OoOoO

We were pacing around until morning waiting on the sun. Pam and I were talking quietly away from the group, Eric walked up. "You can't do it," Pam said.

"It'll work," Eric promised.

"But you heard Bill, it only works for a little bit," I said.

"I'll be alright," he said.

"No you won't. You'll be dead. Drink some of my blood. You'll be able to last longer out there. I'm almost pure fae."

"No."

"Eric, please," Pam said.

"I won't see you die," I said. "Just one drink that's all."

"No."

He walked away. Pam and I watched as Russell and Eric drank Sookie's blood and then walked into the sun. We both sat and watched them outside on the security camera. "He's going to die," I said.

I looked over at Pam, blood tears were running down her face. I started crying too. I saw Eric chain himself to Russell and they both went down on their knees, the sun becoming too much for them. "No," she whispered.


	8. 8 Get The Fuck Off My Front Porch

**RPOV**

I tore myself away from the screens long enough to untie Bill so he could help Sookie. When she woke up she was pretty pissed. "Where's Eric?"

"Outside," I said quietly.

"Burning," Pam finished

"Rachel Compton, why the fuck are you just sitting there doing nothing?" Sookie asked.

"He asked me not to do anything."

"When have you ever listened to anyone but yourself? You are one of the most hardheaded people I know. Come on, I'm going to need some help dragging him inside."

I jumped up. "You're right; I'm not letting him die. Let's go." The two of us ran outside.

"Eric, where's the key?" I asked.

"I told you to stay inside," Eric said.

"He's gone crazy," Russell said.

"You shut up," Sookie said.

"Sook, use the light," I told her.

"I can't! I don't know how. You do it."

"I've never been able to do it! Eric, where's the fucking key?"

"Go away," he said.

"Sookie do it!" I yelled. And just like that it worked.

"Get his legs we can carry him," Sookie said.

"He needs blood," Pam said.

I stuck my arm in front of his mouth but he didn't bite. "Somebody, bite me," I said waving my arm. Pam bit down till blood was running down my arm. "Perfect." I put my arm across Eric's mouth. "Drink it," I told him. Finally he grabbed my arm. I sighed in relief. He grabbed my arm with his other hand and pulled me closer.

"That's enough," Bill said.

"Eric, let go," Sookie said pulling my arm away from him.

"Where's Russell?" Eric asked.

"Outside," Pam said.

"We need to bring him in," Eric said. "Godric appeared to me and asked me to spare him."

"Maybe Russell was right, you have gone crazy," Sookie said.

"Rachel?" Eric looked at me.

"Whatever," I sighed grabbing some silver chains and going outside.

"Ms. Compton couldn't resist saving me could you?"

"Shut up, before I change my mind."I hooked the silver around his neck and dragged him in. "Here you go, one crazy ass, half fried vampire. By the way I am not giving him my blood."

"No one is asking you to," Bill said.

"Good. Ew this is just gross," I said looking at Russell's flaking off face.

"We're going to ground," Eric said. "Sookie, Rachel you stay here and watch him."

Sookie and I glared at each other. "Fine," we both said. The vampires left, leaving me and Sookie alone with Russell.

"I'm sorry," I said to Sookie.

"For which part?"

"All of it. You understand though don't you? You would've done anything to save Bill, and you did. I had to do whatever I could to save Eric."

"I guess. Whatever, it's not your fault. I was just going to blame it on Eric anyway."

"Aw this is so touching," Russell said.

"Shut up!" Sookie and I both yelled.

"This is going to be a long afternoon," I mumbled.

OoOoO

Sookie and I were painting each other's nails when Russell started trying to convince us to release him.

"I could give you all the money you'd need," Russell said.

"My entire family is dead, and they left quite a lot money for us along the way. My sister and I are doing pretty well for ourselves," I said.

"What about your house?" Sookie asked.

"Oh yeah, I love that house," I said.

"Fine," Russell agreed. "And I can kill Bill Compton and Eric Northman or neither or both."

"Neither!" I said at the same time Sookie said, "Both."

"Neither," She sighed.

"What do we have to do?" I asked.

"Release me."

"Nope," I said. "Now Sook, which colors do you want for the designs?" I asked.

"Some vampire is going to kill you one day," Russell said.

"Probably," I shrugged. Sookie grabbed his glass urn full of dead Talbot. "Now that's just gross," I said.

"He was the love of my life," Russell said.

"Yeah but he's going to start smelling," I said. Sookie walked over to the sink and poured him down the drain. She started laughing. "Ok Sook, I think you're getting a little too much pleasure out of that. Please hurry, that sound is making me nauseas."

"All done," She said happily.

"Have fun with that?" I asked.

"Maybe a little."

I shuddered. "That is just so nasty!"

OoOoO

A while later Ginger showed up and we started talking to her. "So how long have you been working here?" I asked.

"I don't remember," She said.

"Oh, how'd you get the job?" I asked instead.

"Um, I don't remember."

_Does she know anything? _I asked Sookie. She laughed. I got a flash of Alcide driving his truck up to Fangtasia. "Alcide's almost here," I said happily. When he walked through the door Ginger screamed.

"Dear lord Ginger! Calm down," Sookie said.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"I told you you'd see me around," I said to Alcide.

"Yeah you did. Eric called said he needed my help."

"Oh."

"What?"

"Nothing," I shrugged.

"I'll go get ya'll something to drink," Ginger said.

"I'll go help you," Sookie said getting up and following her. Alcide sat on the barstool next to me.

"How's Janice?" I asked.

"She's doing fine."

"That's good. I really liked her, she was nice."

"She seemed to like you too," Alcide laughed. "I've been thinking about you a lot."

"I've been thinking about you too. But can we not talk about this in my boyfriend's bar?"

"Yeah. It's just good to see you. I would hate it if we never saw each other again."

I sighed. "Don't. Why do you have to be so perfect all the time?"

"I can't help it."

Russell laughed. "And once a month he turns into a wolf and eats things."

"Last time I checked you weren't part of this conversation," I snapped. "They just woke up," I told Alcide. We sat quietly until they came upstairs.

"You're here," Eric said to Alcide. "Did you bring your truck?"

"Yeah," Alcide said nodding.

Eric stopped to kiss me, as if to show Alcide that I was still his. "Let's go dog," Eric said.

"Come on Rachel, we should be getting back to Bon Temps," Sookie said.

OoOoO

Later Bill came to visit us after he had done whatever it was they were doing. "Is Russell dead?" Sookie asked.

"He might as well be," Bill said.

"Where's Eric? He said he'd call," I asked.

Bill hesitated. "Eric is gone."

"Gone?" I asked.

"I ended him."

"You what? How could you? Why?"

"Why would you do that?" Sookie asked.

"He knows what you are. Everyone who has tasted either of you must die," Bill said. "Eric, Pam, The queen, Russell."

"Don't you think it would've been a good idea to clear this with me first?" I asked.

"I can't believe you did that," Sookie said. Then there were footsteps on the porch. Eric was standing there covered in concrete. I ran outside and hugged him not caring he was covered in grey gunk.

"Did you tell Sookie how you were sent her by the queen to find her?" Eric asked. "Or how you let to people beat her so you could feed her your blood?"

"Is it true?" Sookie asked.

Bill nodded. "But I fell in love with you."

"You don't get the right to use that word. Get out of my house, I resend your invitation. And Eric you get the fuck off my porch."

They both left and I followed Sookie back inside she was crying again. "Come here," I said. I hugged her and let her cry on my shoulder.

"I have to go. I need to go to the cemetery," Sookie said.

"You want me to come with you?" I asked.

"No that's alright. You should go on and get some sleep; I'll see you in the morning."

"Alright. Good night." I went upstairs and got ready for bed. I had a bad feeling; it wasn't exactly a flash but something close. I was so tried I didn't feel like wondering around trying to figure out what was wrong. I collapsed into bed and fell asleep.


	9. 9 Time Passes Things Change

**RPOV**

**Three Months Later**

"Stop it!" I squealed through my laughter.

"Nope," He said ticking me again.

"Stop it, Alcide!" I whined.

My cell phone rang. I rushed towards it and picked it up before Alcide could get me again. "Oh it's Lily, thank god. Hey Lil!" I answered. "How's King Bill?" I asked in my best Bill impression

She laughed. "He's fine. He still wants you to come home."

"Oh he'll get over it. I like Jackson."

"No you just like Alcide. Have you talked to Eric?" She asked.

"Not since we broke up," I said quietly.

"He wants you to come home too," Lily said.

"I'm sure he does," I sighed. "It's too hard. I can't live right there and see her house everyday and know that I should've done something about it."

"It's not your fault," Lily said.

"Everyone says that but you didn't have the feeling. You didn't know something was wrong. I did."

Lily sighed. "Bill wants to talk to you."

"Put him on."

"Hello Rachel," He said.

"Hey."

"How's Jackson?"

"It's great. How's being the King of Louisiana?"

"Its work but I'll live," He laughed.

"Lily says the house looks fantastic."

"It does. She helped design it. You'd love it, if you ever came home."

"Bill you know how I feel."

"Eric blames himself."

"It's not his fault. He couldn't have saved her. And he couldn't have stopped me from leaving." I sighed. "I really wish everyone would stop talking about Eric."

"I'm sorry."

"Look I'll talk to you soon." I hung up.

"Are you alright?" Alcide asked.

"Yeah."

"I know its hard getting over someone," he said.

"I just wish everyone would stop talking about it. It was my choice."

**Two Months Later**

"Do you remember that night; Bill had broken up with Sookie, we had just got her into bed and we were sitting on the couch and I started crying?" I asked.

"Of course," He said.

"I don't cry about a lot of things."

"I've noticed. You're pretty tough."

I laughed. "I guess I am." I paused. "Did you cry over Debbie?"

"Yeah, I guess. Why?"

"I never cried over Eric."

"You just bottle everything up don't you?" He asked.

"I do. It's bad. I'll end up exploding one day."

**Two Months Later**

I had the apartment all to myself one night. Alcide was out for a work thing. Janice was supposed to be coming over and we were going to watch chick flicks and she was going to do my hair but she ended up having a date and canceled on me. Not that I minded being alone it was relaxing.

I made a cup of hot chocolate and was watching TV in the living room when there was a knock on the door. I walked over and opened it up. Standing outside was Eric. "Oh my god. What are you doing here?"

"I came to bring you home," He said.

"You can't just show up on my doorstep unannounced."

"I still love you," he said. I knew deep down I still loved him but until that moment I hadn't ever admitted it to myself. He pulled me close to him and kissed me.

"I love you too," I said without thinking.

"Then come home."

"I can't." I pushed him away.

"Do you really believe she's dead?" He asked.

"No, I think those damn faeries took her. But that's practically the same as dead. She'll never come back. And I could've saved her."

"You know you're the only one who thinks the fae were involved. Bill and Lily think she's dead."

"It doesn't matter. It's too late," I said.

"It's never too late." Then he was gone. I wasn't even sure if it was real or if I had imagined it all. But after than I knew that while I may not want to go home, I needed to.

OoOoO

The next morning Alcide came home and found me packing. "Are you going somewhere?" He asked.

"I'm going home," I said.

"Bill and Lily miss you, I'm sure they'll be glad to see you. For how long?"

"I'm going back. For good."

"What?" He asked stepping towards me.

I walked around him and towards the door. "I can't stay here. I was never the kind of person to run away and hide out. This isn't me."

"I love you."

"I'm sorry. I just can't do this anymore." I grabbed the last of my bags and walked towards the door. I stopped. "I love you too."

**Three Months Later**

"For the last time, can I please paint my room some other color?" I begged.

"Is this really the last time you're going to ask?" Bill asked.

"If you say yes."

"No."

"Ugh." I sat down on the couch defeated.

"I'll have to get the interior designer back in here to redo your room, then that will turn into doing the whole upstairs because it needs to match and then my entire house will looks like Sophie-Ann's did."

"Her house was gorgeous!"

"Rach, give it up. It isn't going to happen," Lily said.

"I hate you both."

"Mr. Compton, Eric Northman is here," one of the guards said.

"Oh that's my date! See you two later." I waved. The guard walked me out. "I've told you over and over, that is not necessary."

"Mr. Compton insists."

"I bet he does." I rolled my eyes. When we reached Eric's car the guard waited for me to get in. "Being related to the king is kinda getting old," I grumbled.

"I've told you multiple times you can move in with me," Eric said smiling.

"I know. And maybe eventually I'll take you up on that."

"You look beautiful."

"Thanks." I leaned across the seat and kissed him.

**Two Months Later**

"Do you think I made the right choice?" I asked Lily one afternoon. She was reading a magazine while I painted my nails. "Coming home I mean."

"Of course I do," She said.

"You don't sound too convinced."

"I mean I'm glad you came home but…" she trailed off.

"But what?" I asked.

She closed the magazine and sat it on the bed. "But I wish you hadn't broken up with Alcide."

"You're the one that wanted to talk about Eric every time you called!"

"Well yeah. But I just wanted you to come home."

"It doesn't matter Alcide and I weren't going to work out anyways," I said.

"You don't know that. He was good for you, and I could tell you really loved him."

"I really love Eric too," I told her.

"Do you? The two of you happened so fast it was like an explosion, like Romeo and Juliet. If they hadn't died they would've ended up divorced and bitter."

"Are you comparing me and Eric to Romeo and Juliet?" I asked.

"Yes," she nodded.

I sighed. "Well what epic Shakespearian romance were me and Alcide?"

"You two are your own story. You don't fit in with any one Shakespeare play and that's a good thing, most of them were all tragedies."

"I don't have to listen to you," I said reaching for the bottle of nail polish again.

"No you don't. But you know it's true, even if you won't admit it."

**Four Months Later**

Something was going to happen today, something big and exciting. I could hardly sit still. "Rachel you've been bouncing around all day, what is going on?" Lily asked.

"I don't know! Something!" I said happily.

"You got a flash?" She asked.

"Not exactly. I haven't gotten a flash since before Sookie– well you know. But I've been getting these feelings, and today something really big is going to happen."

"Maybe you should go for a jog. Get rid of some of that excess energy," she suggested.

"Alright, I'll go. But if something happens call me!" I put my iPod in and left. I jogged passed the old cemetery and then around towards Sookie's old house. I saw Jason pull up in his cop car. "Hey, Jason!"

"Hey, Rach."

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Some girl showed up here and refuses to leave." I didn't want to get my hopes up but I couldn't help but remember that feeling I'd had. I started to walk in with him. "Rachel, you should go back home."

"But Jason, what if…?"

"It's been over a year." He sighed. "I'll call you."

"Fine." I walked out and sat in my old favorite spot in the woods and called Lily. "Sookie's home!"

"Really?" She asked surprised.

"I haven't seen her yet but I'm sure it's her. Tell Bill to come over here as soon as he wakes up."

"He just came out of the hidey hole. We'll both be over there in a minute."

I saw Sookie walk outside. "Gotta go." I ran across the yard. "It's really you! Jason wouldn't let me come in. I've been waiting for him to leave."

"Rachel!" She hugged me.

"You were with the faeries, weren't you?" I checked.

"How did you know?"

"I got a feeling before you vanished. I knew you weren't dead but I never thought I'd see you again."

"Well I'm back," She said.

"You missed so much!" I said. "There's so much I'll have to tell you!"

Bill showed up and Sookie took a few steps back up her porch.

"I'm sorry; I know I'm not wanted here. It's just been so long," Bill said.

"I'm fine," Sookie said.

Lily pulled up. She came running out of her car. "Sookie! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"I missed you! Rachel was right the whole time."

"I tried to tell you. Over and over! I knew she wasn't dead," I said. Then Eric appeared next to me.

"I knew you weren't dead," Eric said.

"Eric, shouldn't you be at Fangtasia?" Bill asked.

"Pam can handle it," Eric said.

"Eric, go!" Bill commanded him.

"Bill!" I yelled. Bill looked at me. As if he was trying to command me to do something too. "I don't have to listen to you," I reminded him.

"I guess I have to go," Eric said. "But everyone who says they loved you; your brother, Lily, Bill. They gave up on you. Rachel and I never did."

"Well, we'll be going," I said. "See you later, Sookie."

OoOoO

The next day I was working my shitty early shift at Merlotte's. That's what I get for moving to Jackson for six months. Sookie had just walked in and was talking to Arlene and Terry. Sam walked over to Sookie and they were talking about her being gone. I used to like Sam but in the past year he had gotten a lot harder to deal with. I walked past them to go pick up my orders from Lafayette. "Rayray can you believe that?" He asked gesturing to Sookie. The two of us had become pretty good friends since I had come back from Jackson; we even had nicknames for each other.

"It's crazy right?"

"If you ever need to go on vampire business, you write. Because I don't know if this town will want to deal with another one of ya'll disappearing."

"Lala, I'll make sure you know if I'm disappearing at least a month in advance," I laughed.

"Rachel," Sam called.

I turned around. "Yes?"

"You just got bumped back to the dinner shift starting tomorrow," he said.

"Yes!"

"How did you end up getting bumped back to lunch shift?" Sookie asked.

"Well it's a long story. I'll tell you later."

"I know last year you didn't want to live with Bill any more if you still want you can move back in with me."

"Yeah that'd be great! I love Bill and all but I need to get out of that house."

"You can start moving your stuff in tonight if you want. If Lily wants to she can come too," Sookie offered.

"I'll ask."

"See you later," she waved.

"We have a lot to get caught up on."

OoOoO

That night I borrowed a couple of Bill's guards to help me move my and Lily's stuff over to Sookie's. Lily and I pulled up out front and the guards started unloading boxes. I was setting up things in my old room upstairs when I heard Lily shriek below. I ran down stairs to see what she was freaking out about. Eric was standing in the living room.

"I thought Sookie rescinded your invitation," she said.

"But now I own the house," he said.


	10. 10 Witches Suck

**RPOV**

"You bought Sookie's house?" I asked.

"Yes," Eric said.

"And you didn't think to tell me about it?"

"It wasn't that important," he said shrugging.

"Actually, it kind of is."

"Why are you here?" Lily asked.

"I bought the house, therefore I own you," he said simply.

"You bought the house we live in, you didn't buy us," Lily said.

"What is going on?" Sookie asked running down the stairs.

"I just discovered I seriously over paid for this house," Eric said.

"You bought my house?" Sookie asked.

"Yes. The twins and I have gone over this. Well, there are places I need to be. I'll talk to you girls soon." He left just as quickly as he'd appeared.

"I am so sorry!" I said.

"It's not your fault your boyfriend is crazy," Sookie said. We went into the kitchen were Sookie had made a pot of coffee. We each got a cup and went into the living room.

"Well are you going to tell her about Jackson?" Lily asked after a silence.

"I was getting to it," I told her.

"You went back to Jackson?" Sookie asked.

"Yeah, that's why I got bumped back to the early shift. I was there for six months."

"With Alcide?" She asked. I nodded. "You lived with Alcide for six months and yet you still came back to Eric?" Sookie asked.

"It's complicated," I said.

"Apparently. I need to go see Bill."

"Um, Sookie before you go over there there's something I need to tell you about him," Lily said.

"I don't care what it is. I just need to talk to him."

"Alright, don't say we didn't try to warn you," I said.

OoOoO

When Lily and I got home from Merlotte's Sookie was talking to Tara. "Tara! Oh my goodness! I haven't seen you in a year!"

"Hey Rachel how was Jackson?" She asked.

"It was great," I said. She patted the couch next to her and Lily and I squeezed in next to them.

"How long you been back?" Tara asked me.

"A few months," I told her.

"Where have you been?" Lily asked her.

"New Orleans."

"Well you look fantastic. I love what you did with your hair."

"Thanks, Lil."

"Oh, Rachel, Eric bought us a microwave," Sookie said.

"Well, you needed a new one. Did he fix the back door?" I asked. She nodded. "You don't sound too happy."

"It's Eric Northman!" She said like that explained everything.

"Yeah, he happens to be my boyfriend so if you don't mind at least trying to pretend like you like him."

"Sorry."

"You know what; I'm going over to Bill's for a bit."

"Rachel, wait!"

"It's fine."

OoOoO

When I got over to Bill's he was talking to Eric in his office. "Hey," I said.

"Eric was just leaving," Bill said.

"Where are you going?" I asked curiously.

"To talk to some witches."

"There are witches? Can I come with you?"

Eric looked at Bill for approval. "I don't see why not. Witches are relatively harmless, and a necromancer couldn't do anything to you," Bill said.

"They're necromancers, like people that can control the dead?" I asked.

"Yes and that also includes vampires," Bill said.

"Oh my god! I see why they're a big deal."

"Shall we go?" Eric asked.

"We shall." I texted Lily. "I'll see you guys when you get home from work. Going to see some witches with Eric. Don't worry about me." We pulled up outside some place called Moon Goddess Emporium and walked inside. "This place smells weird," I mumbled as we walked to the back room where we could hear voices. Eric, always one to make an entrance, threw open the doors dramatically. Everyone in the room looked up.

"Ya'll looking for a dead body?" Eric asked. Then he popped out his fangs everyone gasped. Lafayette jumped up, that's when he saw me.

"Lala, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"I could ask you the same question!" He said.

"I came with Eric, obviously," I told him.

"Jesus brought me."

"Anyways," Eric said ending me and Lafayette's conversation. "Which one of you is Marnie?"

An old lady stepped forward. "I'm Marnie."

"Your coven will never meet again, alright?"

"What do I get out of that?" She asked.

"I'd say not killing you all, is a good trade off," Eric answered.

"I'd listen to him Marnie, he tends to get his way," Lafayette said.

"Join hands," Marnie said.

Eric grabbed the old woman and bit her. "Eric!" I yelled. Tara came running in with a stake and raised it up. "Stop, Tara!" I grabbed her arm. Eric dropped Marnie and grabbed Tara. "Eric, don't bite her!" I screamed at him. It seemed like there was a thunderstorm in the room. Then Marnie stood up and started chanting.

Suddenly I collapsed and the whole room went black.

**LPOV**

Sookie and I drove up to Fangtasia to talk to Pam. "Hello, Rachel." She said.

"I'm Lily," I corrected her.

"Damn, you two look so much alike. But you couldn't be more different. Why are you here?" She asked.

"Is there any way you can convince Eric to sell my house back to me?" Sookie asked.

"He's my maker; did you really think I'd side with you? Have you tried getting Rachel to ask?"

"No. Do you think that would work?" I asked.

"He loves her. It just might."

"She's with him now. We'll wait around until they get back," I said.

"You do that, and leave me alone. I have things to do." We walked out of the office and back to the bar..

"I've got to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back," Sookie said. I sat down at the bar and told the bartender to make me something fruity. When Sookie came out she looked annoyed. "Let's go."

"I thought we were going to wait around for Eric and Rachel?"

"We can find them later."

"Well alright then." We left before the bartender finished making my drink.

OoOoO

We were almost home when I noticed someone walking down the road. "Isn't that Eric?" I asked pointing him out.

"Yeah it is. Do you see Rachel anywhere?" She asked.

"No, I don't think she's there." We pulled up beside him. "Eric?" I called. He just kept walking. "Eric!" we both yelled out the window.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"It's Sookie and Lily," Sookie told him. He stared at us blankly.

"Eric, you know exactly who we are," I said.

"No." He stopped walking. "Why do you smell so good?"

"You know exactly why I smell the way I smell," I told him. I was already tired of whatever act he was pulling.

"What are you?" He asked. He leaned towards me through the window and his fangs popped out. I squealed and Sookie stepped on the gas.

"What the fuck is going on?" I asked.

She stopped. "I have no idea."

"Where'd he go?" I asked looking around.

Suddenly he was leaning through the window. "Run!" She yelled. We both jumped out of the car and took off. He appeared in front of us and Sookie punched him.

"You broke my nose," He said.

"It'll heal in like two seconds," she said. I stood behind her watching Eric, there was definitely something different about him.

"I don't know who I am." I walked towards them. Still keeping my distance but getting close enough so I could talk to them.

"What was the last thing you remember?" I asked. He started rambling about eyes and people and some of it was in Swedish. "Was my sister with you?"

"I don't know."

"She looks exactly like me," I added.

"No. Maybe. I don't know."

"Well, that's not helpful."

"We'll help you deal with this but you have to follow our rules. No touching either of us and definitely no biting," Sookie said.

"I swear."

"Come on, get in." I sighed.

_What about Rachel? _I asked.

_I don't know. _

_Fucking witches. _

When we got to Sookie's house the two of us walked in. Eric stopped at the door. "Why are you-oh right of course, Eric please come in," I said.

_This may work out to our benefit _I said.

_Don't get used to it. _

"Don't step on the rug!" She said.

"Oh sorry." He stepped back looking like a little kid who just got in trouble, it was kinda cute.

"You're going to track mud all over Sookie's house. I'll go get something to wash your feet off with," I said.

_I can do it. If you'd rather. _Sookie said.

_I'll do it. He's acting very unlike Eric._

_Are you sure? I don't want you to feel like you have to be around him. _

_It's ok really. _I said. I found a bowl and filled it up while Sookie went upstairs to call Pam.

"Here put your feet in this." I sat down on the floor and grabbed the rag and washed his feet off. "Sorry the water is cold."

"It's alright." He pulled his foot back and I jumped. "It tickles," He said smiling. It was a real smile not his typical smirk and I couldn't help but smile back. He leaned towards me. "You glow, it's beautiful."

"Um thanks?" The door flew open and I jumped about a foot in the air, so did Eric. He also flew across the room.

"Who the fuck is she?"

"That's Pam, you're her maker."

"Shit! You weren't kidding," Pam said. "You and Sookie have to hide him."

"What? No!"

"The first place they'll look is with me. He's safer here. Where's Rachel?"

"Missing."

"I'll look for her, but you have to keep him here!" Pam said.

"I'll tell Bill."

"No! I think Bill sent Eric to that coven knowing something bad would happen."

"Bill wouldn't do that!" I said.

"You obviously don't know him as well as I thought you did. Remember the last time Bill tried to get rid of Eric?"

"Yeah because Eric knew what we are."

"Please don't go to Bill. He'd use this as an excuse to kill Eric. Would you want to do that to Rachel?"

I signed. "Fine. We'll keep him." Pam left and Sookie came down stairs.

"It's almost morning; you should get in your cubby," Sookie said.

"Where is it?"

"Right, I forgot you don't know. It's in here." She opened it up and climbed down. "Well it's safe what are you waiting for?" He climbed down after her. I leaned over the opening so I could see them.

"So you live here. In my house?"

"Yes," she said annoyed.

"Are you mine?"

"No! You were dating Lily's sister she was yours. Though I doubt Rachel was a fan of possessive pronouns."

"Oh."

"Now I'm going to go upstairs."

He stepped in front of her, which took her off guard and she backed up. "I want to say thank you for everything," he told her.

"No problem. Now let me go," she came up the ladder and started to close the door.

"Hold on. I'm going to go down there for a minute," I said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I just want to talk to him."

"Do you want me to wait on you?" She asked.

"No, I'll be fine."

"Alright, good night, Lily."

"Good night." I climbed down the ladder. I slipped on one of the rungs but Eric caught me before I fell. I jumped away from him. "Hi," I said. I sat down on the side of the bed. He did too. I slid a little bit away. "I just came down here to…" I sighed. "I don't know. You don't know anything about my sister. I don't know why I needed to talk to you."

He reached his hand toward my face and I jumped up. "I'm sorry." He said.

"No, it's ok. I'm just not really used to vampires, other than Bill. I tend to avoid them, especially being in small spaces alone with them." I sat back down carefully.

"I won't hurt you," he told me.

"I know." I reached out hesitantly and brushed my fingers across his face. Down his cheek and over his mouth, his fangs popped out. I jumped.

"Sorry," he said.

"It's ok." I reached out and touched one of his fangs with my finger. They were sharper than they looked and they cut the skin. A little drop of blood welled up. "Fuck." He was staring at it but he hadn't lost his control. "Do you want it?" I asked holding it out to him. "Just don't bite."

He put my finger in his mouth and sucked the blood off. I pulled my hand back. "It's delicious," He said.

"Um. I'm going to go. I'll see you tonight."

"Goodbye."

"Bye," I said quietly. I climbed back up the ladder and closed the door behind me. I went down the hall to my room and tried to get some sleep.

OoOoO

Sookie came and woke me up a few hours later. "I'm going to see Alcide; he moved to Shreveport recently, do you want to come with me?"

"Sure. Let me get dressed." I got out of bed and changed clothes and put on a little make up. "Ready to go," I said walking down the hall.

"Alright, let's go." We jumped in her car and drove to Shreveport. When we pulled up outside his house I sighed. "You ok?" Sookie asked.

"Just thinking that if Rachel had stayed with Alcide she could be living in a cute little house like this, instead she came back to Eric and now she's missing."

"If I were her I wouldn't have come back," Sookie said.

"Yeah, me either." We got out of the car and walked up and knocked on the door. Alcide saw Sookie and picked her up.

"Good to see you too," She laughed. He sat her down.

"Lily, good to see you too. How's your sister?" He asked. Giving me a hug.

"She's missing."

"Missing? What happened?" I could tell he was concerned. She may have left him but he still loved her.

"I don't know."

"I'll do anything I can to help you find her," he promised.

"When did you move to Shreveport?" Sookie asked.

"A few months ago. I was ready to get out of Jackson after everything with the pack and then with Rachel."

"Yeah, I understand," I said.

"Now what was that favor you wanted to ask me?" Alcide asked changing the subject.

"Well Eric is," she paused looking for the word, "sick and he needs some place to stay," Sookie said.

Then I heard someone come in. "Hey there Sookie. Oh hi, Rachel."

"I'm actually Lily her twin," I said.

_There are two of them? Like one didn't cause enough trouble for Alcide. I need to be nice… _I heard her think.

"Oh I guess we never met. Nice to meet you Lily. Sookie, I'm sorry about everything before."

"You tried to kill me."

"Wait this is Debbie? The one that tried to kill Rachel?"

"Yep, I did and I am seriously sorry about that. I was really fucked up. But I want to try to make amends if you'll let me."

"Um sure," Sookie said. Debbie hugged her.

"Where's your sister, I'd like to apologize to her too?" Debbie asked me.

"She's actually missing," I said.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry! Well when you find her tell her I wanted to say sorry, alright?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Can I get ya'll anything to eat?" Debbie asked.

"Actually I'm working the lunch shift, I need to get back. I'll talk to you later." Sookie grabbed her purse and the two of us left. We were about to get in the car when Alcide ran out.

"Sookie, Lily wait! I'm sorry I didn't say anything about me and Debbie getting back together."

"No, I'm happy for you," Sookie said though she didn't actually look that happy.

"So, Eric needs a place to stay?" He asked.

"It was a bad idea. I'm just a little nervous about having him in my house," Sookie said.

"He's living with you?" He asked.

"This isn't your problem. Anyway it was good to see you," She got back in the car.

"Lily, what I said earlier about looking for your sister I meant it. I'll do whatever I can. I loved her."

"Thanks. Well, I gotta go I'm going to be late."

"Bye."

OoOoO

That night I was sitting in the living watching TV when there was a flash of light outside. Sookie and I walked towards the door. Outside was Claudine. "I've come to get you both of you," Claudine said.

"There's no way I'm going back," Sookie said.

"You took a whole year of her life, all of her friends thought she was dead," I said.

"And I apologize for that, but Faerie is your home."

"No, it isn't!" Sookie said.

"I can protect you," she said.

"If you can protect us why didn't you protect Rachel from those witches?" I asked. Claudine didn't have an answer for that one.

"Just stay away from us," Sookie said. We turned to go inside when Eric jumped out at Claudine and pushed her to the ground. He bit her and drank her dry, she disappeared into dust. "Eric that was my farie godmother!"


	11. 11 Identity Crisis

**LPOV**

"If any of her friends show up we're dead," Sookie said.

"Come on Eric. Let's get you inside," I said. He fell over suddenly. "Eric?" I walked over and poked him with my foot.

He rolled over and stood up. I backed away. He took a step towards me. "You smell good," He said.

"I know, you've told me," I said. I took a step back.

"Can I drink you?"

"No you cannot!" I jumped back.

"But-"

"You'll kill me like you killed Claudine."

"I couldn't harm someone like you."

I sighed. "Come on you should get in your cubby." I started walking towards the house. He ran up and grab my ass.

"What happened to no touching? Did you forget my rules?" Sookie asked. He laughed hysterically.

"Sook, can vampires get drunk?" I asked.

"I don't know."

"Well I think he is."

"Wait, where'd he go?" Sookie asked turning around.

I looked around to see that he was missing."Shit."

OoOoO

We'd been running all over the place trying to find Eric. Sookie called Alcide and he showed up finally around noon. "Alcide!" I said happily.

"Hey, Lily." He hugged me.

"Sookie's looking around back again," I said.

"How is Eric still wandering around?"

"That's an interesting story. I'll tell you on the way."

He pulled off his shirt. I couldn't help but stare. Now I know why Rachel liked him so much, I mean besides his wonderful personality, of course. "You mind?"

"Oh right sorry." I turned around. When I looked over my shoulder he was a wolf. "Oh my god, you're adorable!" He growled a little. "Sorry, it's true. Smell anything?" He took off and I ran after him. Along the way I explained the whole faerie situation. He stopped at the pond. Sookie had just caught up with us.

"I don't see him," she said. Eric splashed up out of the water.

"Come play with me!" He said.

"Eric, there's gators in there!" Sookie said.

"I'll just kill the sea monsters!" He said splashing us. I sighed.

Alcide shifted back. "You weren't kidding about him being different."

Eric snarled at him. "Eric stop!" I scolded.

"They want me here!" Alcide yelled at him.

"Eric, he's our friend. You don't want to fight him," Sookie said.

"Prepare to die, dog," Eric said.

"Bring it on, fanger," Alcide said.

"Oh come on! Both of you! You are acting like children!" I said unhappily.

"Alcide stop growling!" Sookie said.

"Put up your fangs, Eric!" I said at the same time. Eric gasped in pain. "Sookie, hand me the blanket!" She tossed it to me and I waded into the water. "Come here."

"Lily, it hurts," He said.

"I know." I wrapped him in the blanket so his skin wasn't showing.

"I don't want to go back," he told me.

"Go on, I'll be there in a minute." He looked at me sadly before running. Sookie and I reached the house right behind Alcide. "I'll go down," I told them. I climbed down the ladder. "You need to go to sleep," I said.

"I don't want to."

"You got burned up, you need your rest," I pushed him down onto the bed. He sat back up.

"Nope."

"If you stay up you'll get the bleeds," I told him.

"I know."

"Then you can clean them up, because I sure won't." He stared at me. "Fine, do what you want. I've got to go." I climbed back up.

"She sure has gotten a lot more comfortable being around supes since last year," Alcide said.

"It's a recent development," Sookie said.

"I can hear you two talking about me," I said when I reached the top. Sookie motioned us outside.

"Are you two crazy?" Alcide asked.

"You saw it for yourself, Eric isn't the same," I said.

"But he's still a killer. Eric is and always be Eric," Alcide said.

"And Debbie Pelt is still Debbie Pelt. She tried to kill Sookie and Rachel, she's a reformed V-addict and she's living in your house. Do you see either of us judging you?" I asked.

"Your sister didn't really leave me with a choice," Alcide said.

I scoffed. "No. You are not blaming this on Rachel. Just because Rachel left your sorry ass doesn't mean you had to go back to your psycho ex-girlfriend."

"Both of you stop!" Sookie said.

"I just don't want to see you hurt," I said finally.

"That's the same thing I'm saying about you."

"Alright fine," I said. We looked at each other intensely daring the other one to make a remark.

He smiled. "Come here." I hugged him. "I'm sorry I said that about Eric and your sister."

"I'm sorry I said that about Debbie," I said grudgingly. "Are we still friends?"

He nodded like he was weighing his options. I poked him. He laughed. "Friends."

"I'll talk to you later," I promised.

"See you soon." He walked off to his truck.

OoOoO

That night I went down into Eric's cubby to check on him. "You've been way to quiet. This isn't you," I said.

"It is," he said.

"No, the real you-"

"I am real!"

"I know. I mean Rachel's Eric. He was never sad, at least not that I saw. Course I mostly only saw him around Rachel. When he was with her it was like nothing else in the world mattered. She was his sunshine," I told him.

"I'll never feel the warmth from the sun again, or see the light reflected off your hair."

"But the night isn't so bad. The stars are beautiful; they make pictures and tell stories and the moon light on my hair is even better."

"No. You don't understand because you have both. You can see the sun or the moon; you can take them for granted because you can have them whenever you want."

"I don't know what to say." I sat down next to him.

"You think I'm weak."

"No, I don't," I assured him.

"You want the Eric that doesn't feel."

"Of course not. Why would I want an Eric that doesn't feel? Even Rachel's Eric felt. But that Eric belonged to her and I don't want that Eric."

"If you kiss me I promise to be happy."

"I can't, you're hers."

He shook his head. "No I'm not." He was right. It was almost like saying Rachel and I was the same person just because we looked alike. Just like the old Eric and the new one really weren't the same person, even if they still shared a body and a name, they didn't share any of the same memories. I leaned in to kiss him. "Someone's at your door," Eric said.

"Sookie can get it," I murmured.

"You should go."

I sighed and stood. "Stay here."

I climbed up the ladder and walked towards the door. Sookie was already talking to Bill outside. I opened the door.

"Lily, there you are," Bill said. "You don't happen to know where Eric is, do you."

"No, why would I?" I asked.

"You're right. Where's your sister, maybe she'd know?"

"Um she's gone too. I assumed she just went wherever Eric was going." I shrugged. It killed me to lie about Rachel when Bill could use his resources to help find her, but it was the only way to keep Eric safe. I couldn't explain about Rachel's disappearance without explaining about Eric.

"This is the only place my guards haven't searched," Bill said.

"I'm not going to let a bunch of people stomp around my house," Sookie said.

"It'll just be me." He stepped towards the door. Sookie and I both jumped in front of it.

"When have I ever lied to you?" Sookie asked.

"And you know I never have. I tell you everything," I said. He was still ready to push us aside. "You are not going to search this house," I said calmly. "You have no reason not to trust me."

"I'm not going to search this house. I don't have any reasons not to trust you," Bill said blankly.

"Bill, are you alright?" Sookie asked.

"I'm fine. I understand you girls need your privacy. I'm sorry, goodnight." He left and Sookie whirled around to face me.

"Did you just glamour him?" She asked.

"I-I don't know. The only other time that's happened I was trying to get Rachel to stop doing something and she got that same weird, blank look."

"I think you have another power we didn't know about," Sookie said.

"And it works on vampires. I am so beyond dead."

OoOoO

Sookie finally convinced me I needed to go to sleep before I had a panic attack. I walked to my room on the ground floor. "You think you'll be ok by yourself?" She asked.

"Yeah. I'll be fine, but if you hear someone screaming. Don't bother to come running, I probably just had a terrible nightmare."

"I'll come running anyway. You're sleeping on the same floor as a vampire."

"Sort of. He's actually under us."

"Technicalities."

"Oh go to sleep." I pushed her out of my room. It felt like I'd only been asleep for a few minutes when I could feel someone in my room. I sat up to see Eric, fangs out, in my door way. I jumped back against my headboard and squealed.

"I had a bad dream."

I sighed in relief. "Come here." I motioned him over. He lay down in my bed and told me how he had had a dream about Godric.

"I'm sorry I'm crying all over your pillows," he said.

"It's alright, they're Sookie's."

"I don't even know him."

"Godric was your maker. That's a really strong bond; I'm not surprised it carried over."

"He said I was evil," he said rolling over.

"It was just a bad dream, that's all."

"Am I evil?" He asked.

"Well, you certainly aren't an angel. You did a lot of things that weren't very good but I don't think you're evil." He laid his head in my lap which made me laugh.

"Why are you laughing?" He asked looking up at me.

"If anyone had told me last year I'd be lying in bed cuddling with Eric Northman, I would've laughed in their face and told them they were obviously bat-shit crazy."

"Why?"

"You weren't always so sweet and gentle. Godric would've liked to see you like this," I told him.

"Did you know him?" He asked.

"No, Sookie did. He was gone before Rachel and I moved to Bon Temps. But you talked about him constantly. Rachel was always telling me stories about you and Godric"

"What stories?"

"There were lots, I can't remember them all but I know you loved him. You two were very close when he was alive."

"Do you know anything about when I was human?" He asked.

"Just that you were the son of a Viking king and family was always very important to you," I said. I chose to leave out the rest of the story so I didn't upset him more.

"Oh. Is it ok if I stayed here until morning?"

"Sure."

**RPOV**

I woke up in the woods not knowing where I was or how I got there. Hell, I didn't even know _who_ I was. "Hello Rachel," A woman said walking towards me, she looked a little funny but I couldn't tell exactly why.

"Do you know me?" I asked.

"Of course I do," She said as if I should know exactly who she was. "You know, you are a very powerful medium."

"A what?" I asked.

"A person who can speak with sprits."

"You're a spirit." I could see why she looked different now. Her clothes were out of place and she seemed to be made out of light.

"My name is Ileana Gavilán. You can trust me."

"I don't know who I am," I admitted.

"I could help you," Ileana said.

"Would you?"

"Of course. Just let me in."

**LPOV**

That afternoon I was sitting with Tara and Sookie eating ice cream and having girl talk. It felt good to be doing something normal again. "I can't believe you got a girlfriend!" I said.

"I didn't really plan it," Tara said.

"We've been friends for years and you never thought to mention you liked girls?" Sookie asked.

"I didn't before."

"So are you going to bring her to Bon Temps soon?" I asked.

"She doesn't even know I'm from here. I've been telling her my name is Toni, I'm from Atlanta; right now I'm at my grandmother's funeral. I hate this place; I just wanted to forget about it," Tara said. "And now she found a bunch of stuff about who I really am, I don't know if she'll forgive me. I think I'm in love with her."

"If you love her you have to fight," Sookie said.

"I've been telling so many lies I have no idea what I should explain first."

"Maybe your name?" I suggested."Really Tara, where did you get Toni from?"

"Honestly, it was the first thing I thought of."

_Sookie, it's getting dark. _I said. I glanced at the cubby behind us.

"Hey can I stay here tonight? I know you don't really have any more rooms but since Rachel's out of town with Eric I could just stay in her room."

"You know tonight's not really the best night," I said.

"She's right; it's not really a good night…" Sookie said. I glanced behind me again. Tara followed my eyes and saw Eric who had just come out of the cubby. Tara started screaming and grabbed the fire iron and started waving it around. Eric popped out his fangs.

"Eric stop that!" I shouted. "Tara put that down!"

"I live here," Eric said.

"What the fuck, you told me he was out of town with Rachel," Tara said to us.

"It's complicated," Sookie said.

"Is Rachel dead? Did he kill her?" Tara asked.

"No! At least, I don't think so. She's missing," I said.

"You just told me that I needed to be honest and you have someone who wants me dead in your basement?"

"Something happened to him. He's changed," Sookie said.

"Sookie, this is the guy that gave you to Russell Edgington, who tricked you into drinking his blood, he tortured Lafayette. You hate Eric Northman! And you Lily, ever since you've gotten here he's made your life miserable, he's been wanting to bite you since day one, every bad thing that's happened to your sister is because of him. Last time I checked you wanted Eric Northman dead."

"Tara-" I started.

"Fuck you! Fuck all of you!" She ran out.

"Shit," Sookie said. "I'll be right back." She took off outside after Tara while I collapsed back onto the couch.

"Did I really do all those things she said?" Eric asked me.

"Yes," I mumbled.

"Why are you letting me stay with you?"

"You're not just that guy that Tara said you were. This you is kind and gentle, I like this version."

"But I'm obviously able to cause you great pain."

"You did. But do you really think I'd be sitting here with you right now if I didn't think you could change, that you had changed?"

"You have a light in you and if I ever took that light away I'd never forgive myself." He got up and walked out the door.

"Eric, wait!" I cried following him. He stopped in the drive way and turned to face me. "I don't want you to go." He walked towards me slowly. I held out my arms and hugged him. He stroked the side of my face and I pulled back to look at him. I'm a terrible sister and I am going to go to hell. I took a deep breath and tried to remind myself he wasn't her Eric.

"I want to kiss you," I whispered. He leaned towards me slowly and kissed me lightly. I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned towards him almost falling off the step.

I heard someone clear their throat. I jumped back. "Oh hey, Sookie. Did you catch up with Tara?" I asked awkwardly.

"No, I didn't."

"Oh well." I coughed.

"Nope, I'm not judging. I am not going to say anything."

She walked past me. _You two are precious. _

I choked out a quiet laugh. _Thanks._

I grabbed his hand. "Come on let's go inside."


	12. 12 A Lot Of Thing Happen in 400 Years

**LPOV**

We couldn't have been inside more than five minutes with Bill showed up. He grabbed Eric and threw him up against the wall. "Stop it!" I yelled. Sookie came running down the stairs just as Eric tossed Bill onto the ground.

"What the fuck?" She said.

"Who is this vampire?" Eric asked.

"He's-he's the king," I told him. That made Eric stop resisting. Bill's guards came in and got Eric. I followed them over to Bill's house.

"You can't do this!" I said.

"I am his king," Bill said.

"But you aren't mine."

"Yes, you've clearly showed me that, when you not only lied to my face but also used fae magic to keep me from finding him."

"It's not my fault what gifts I posses. And how can you even talk to me about lying?"

"Lily was only protecting me. Whatever I've done she had no part in it," Eric said.

"Silver him," Bill said.

"Bill!" I shouted. The guards wrapped the chains around him and I cringed as the metal burned his skin.

"Lily, don't. You've done enough," Eric said.

"Yes, I think you have," Bill said.

"Really Bill? You can run around with every girl in town, hell Rachel can date every kind of supernatural that's out there. But when _I_ find someone, you decide it's time to treat me like your daughter? Well I'm not; if I ever thought I was even close to that, I was obviously wrong."

"Believe it or not my entire life does not revolve around you and your sister's love lives."

"But when you see the chance to hold some power over us you don't hesitate to take it."

"I took an oath to protect the vampires in Louisiana," Bill said, ignoring me.

"By locking them up and slivering them? You sure have an interesting way of protecting people," I said.

"Eric is under the control of the necromancers. He's a danger to everyone."

"You have no idea what you're talking about. He can't remember anything! His whole life is just gone."

"He would say or do anything to get to you!"

"Oh so now he's faking it? Make up your mind Bill. Is he a danger or is he a liar?" I stared him down waiting for him to retaliate. "We were family," I shook my head slightly. "Rachel and I used to think of you as the dad we never had. If you ever loved us, you'll let him go."

"This is vampire business. I strongly suggest you stop acting like you're Rachel and get out of it." He turned away.

"Did you even notice Rachel is missing? Or are you too busy imprisoning innocent vampires? She went in to see those witches with Eric and she never came back."

"You should leave."

"That's it? You aren't even going to look for her? Or at least assure me she's alright?" I asked my voice cracking.

"You made it perfectly clear we are no longer family. You should go," he repeated.

"I'm not leaving without him."

"If Ms. Compton sets foot on my property again, I want her arrested for trespassing."

The guards grabbed me and pulled me out. "This is my house; I can't trespass on my own property! My name is on the deed!" I yelled at the guards as I tried to pull away from them. "I hate you," I said to Bill before I was pulled out of the house.

OoOoO

The next night I drove over to Jason's. He was afraid he was going to shift in to a werepanther and Sookie had offered to sit with him. I walked up in the middle of there conversation about wanting to be normal. "Rachel and I were always the freaks at school. Rachel was only popular because she knew how to use her powers to get what she wanted. But people were scared of her too. People always fear the unknown but once your embrace something, especially if it's part of you or someone you love, you realize how amazing that thing can be," I said.

"I guess that makes sense," Jason said. "Hey can you go grab me another beer?"

I laughed. "Sure."

"I'll come with you," Sookie said. We walked up to the house and I grabbed two beers out of the fridge for them and a Dr. Pepper for me. I had yet to acquire a taste for beer. We walked back down the hill to find Jason's chair empty.

"Jason?" I called.

"Jason!" Sookie yelled.

"Shit." Sookie grabbed the gun and we walked off into the trees. "Jason, come on!" I yelled.

"We can deal with this at home!" Sookie yelled. There was some shuffling in the trees. "Jason?"

Debbie came out into the clearing and Sookie pointed the gun at her. "Oh hey Sookie, and Rach-"

"Lily," I corrected her.

"Right."

"What are you doing out here?" Sookie asked.

Alcide stepped out of the trees. "She's with me." Sookie lowered the gun. "We're on our way to a meeting with our new pack."

"You really shouldn't be running around this late at night, it being a full moon and all," Debbie said.

"You never know what kind of things you'll run into," I mumbled.

"Werepanthers, they're like werewolves but cats right?" Sookie asked.

"Basically. Why?" Alcide asked.

"How would one become a werepanther?" I asked.

"They can't unless they have a least one full blooded parent," Debbie said.

"So if I had gotten bit-" Sookie started. Both Debbie and Alcide looked at her. "_I _didn't get bit. But if I did I wouldn't turn into a werepanther?"

"It's hereditary, not a virus," Alcide said.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"You want to tell me what's going on?" he asked.

"Um, thanks for the help. Go on, go shift, kill things, do whatever you do," I said awkwardly.

"Yeah. We need to go," Sookie grabbed my arm.

"Yeah, bye Alcide!" We walked off back into the woods. "So pretty much Jason just dragged us out here for nothing?" I asked.

"Pretty much."

"I'm going back to the house," I said. "You keep looking for Jason."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Alright, see you back at home." I walked in the opposite direction ducking under tree branches till I finally got to something familiar. There was someone in the trees I could sense their mind was there. "Hello?" Eric appeared in front of me. "Oh my god." I ran towards him, threw my arms around his neck and kissed him.

OoOoO

Sookie wasn't home when we got back; I figured she must've stayed at Jason's, so Eric and I had the house all to ourselves. I was lying in my room later with Eric who seemed like he had fallen asleep. "Are you still there?" I asked.

"Just listening to your heart beat," he said.

"Do you think if I were to become into a vampire I'd still keep the fae powers?" I asked, more to myself than to Eric.

"Are you thinking about getting turned?" He asked.

"No. I mean probably not. It was just something I was thinking about. I have to remind myself this situation is only temporary."

"Do you want me to remember?" He asked.

"Of course I do."

"Would you still want me?"

"I don't know. I hope so. I know you're going to have to remember soon and I know it will probably change things but I still want to feel exactly the same way I feel right now."

"That's all I needed to hear."

OoOoO

After I'd gone and gotten dressed I went down stairs to fix myself something to eat. Before I could make it to the kitchen there was a knock on the door. I ran and opened it.

"Oh hi," I mumbled.

Bill was standing on the other side. "Hello, Lily."

"I don't know why you changed your mind about Eric, but thank you." I paused. "And I'm sorry for what I said last night. I didn't mean it. You're still family, of course you are."

"And I still think of you as my daughter," he said.

"I'm glad. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you and Rachel."

"I've got a team looking into her disappearance. We'll find her."

"Thank you. Did you come over for something?"

"We have reason to believe that the necromancers will be trying to raise the vampires in the morning."

"They're trying to kill vampires?" I asked.

"That is what we believe yes. 400 years ago there were two very powerful witches that vowed to destroy all vampires. They managed to take out quite a few, before they were put to death."

"So how do we prevent it?"

"The only way is to silver the vampires staying close enough to the spell," He said. He handed me a bag full of chains.

"You want me to sliver Eric."

"Yes. If you care for him you must do this."

I nodded. "Good luck," I told him.

**IPOV**

I walked towards Moon Goddess Emporium. An older lady was standing inside, she hadn't noticed me yet. I watched her. "Antonia?"

Her head snapped up. She looked at me suspiciously before realization crossed her face. "Ileana!"

"It's been over 400 years since I've seen you, my sister," I said smiling.

"Over 400 years since I watched those terrible creatures drain you dry," she said bitterly.

"The look of bitterness doesn't suite your new features little sister."

"I can't help it."

"Have you made plans?" I asked

"They're underway. Marnie had a nice little coven before I took control. I'm sure several of them will join out cause. What about your host?" Antonia asked me.

"I'm not sure there's anyone Rachel could scrounge up that isn't a supernatural or an empathizer."

"She did come with the vampire that bit Marnie."

"I couldn't resist her though. She's young and has endless potential. If I had known you were planning on taking a host I would have told you about her sister, Lily would have been harder to convince though. That girl is tough and powerful. We'll need to look out for her if the time comes."

"And there will be battles do not doubt that. We will show the world what vampires are truly capable of."

"Of course we will little sister, all in good time. You were always eager to jump ahead. A good spell is never complete without the proper planning and a proper coven. It's why you weren't successful 400 years ago," I informed her.

"You prepare everything we'll need, make a plan. I'll deal with the matter of a coven."

"I'll be waiting Antonia. I've been waiting 400 years, what are another few days?"

**LPOV**

I had explained everything to Eric and he understood. We went down to the cubby and I started chaining him down with the silver. "I don't want to do this but I can't lose anyone else," I said as I draped a chain over his ankles.

"I must be strong to need all these chains."

"You're the one of the oldest vampires I know. The older you are the stronger you get." I placed some more chains across his wrists and torso. "One more," I told him. He screamed in pain as I put the last set of chains across his neck.

"Will you stay with me?"He asked.

"Of course." I lay down next to him.

OoOoO

We lay there for hours waiting for the spell to come. "Maybe it won't happen today," he said.

"Maybe."

"Remove the sliver, please."

"We don't know that it won't come. If I let you go out there and you die, I'd hate myself."

"If the witches are really as powerful as Bill said, I might meet the sun anyway. I don't want your last memory of me to be like this."

"I'll remember you as the kind, sweet person I know you are. But I'm not going to let you die."

"I don't want my memory back," he said.

"Why?"

"If you can forgive me for all the things I did in the past then I don't need to remember. I'm happy here with you."

"Me too."

**IPOV**

"They're here Ileana," Antonia told me.

"Ready to make a dramatic entrance?" I asked.

"You always do." I flickered the candles in the room, I heard the people on the other side of the door grow silent. Then the doors opened and I walked in. I had a quick flash of a very similar scene, except it was at night and I was with a blonde man. I cleared my mind of the memories I was experiencing from Rachel. She was almost too strong a medium.

"Rachel?" One of the women gasped. I looked at her. Her name was Tara; I could pull up a few vague memories of her without trying to hard. Some of Rachel's memories could prove useful but if I dug too deep I might pull her out, and we can't have that.

"My name is Ileana," I said.

"That's Lily's twin! The one who's missing!" Another lady said, Holly. Lily, of course, I could remember her. A face just like the one I was currently wearing. No! I shoved back the memories that were threatening to pour through.

"She let me in. I'm only borrowing her."

"She let you in?" Tara asked.

"She did."

"I am Antonia. Ileana was my older sister. We both died at the hands of vampires over 400 years ago. And once again we are at war," my sister said.

"And this time we are better prepared to fight back. This time we will be successful," I said.

"If we do nothing we will be tortured, raped, murdered, eaten. But remember, vampires are not immortal. Only harder to kill," Antonia said.

"We have waited 400 years for this. Are you ready to fight?" I asked. There was a chorus of voices agreeing to join. "Join hands," I instructed them. Antonia and I walked to the middle of the circle and joined hands facing each other. We began to chant at the same time. People began to join us and slowly Antonia and I rose up off the ground. I could feel the spell working its way out of the building and into the streets, searching for the vampires it was destined to destroy.

**LPOV**

"Do you feel that?" I asked.

"It's coming," Eric said.


	13. 13 Trust Me

**LPOV **

Eric struggled until nightfall. I felt the spell slide away and realized the sun must've set. It was over, the spell was gone and Eric was still alive. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "Ok. I can let you go now." I slowly pulled off the chains trying not to hurt him.

"Just yank it off. It's better," he said.

"Oh alright." I pulled it off and cringed as he screamed.

"I just realized I haven't fed since your faerie godmother."

"Right. Um I guess Trublood won't help?"

"I just need to rest."

"No, you need to feed," I said.

"There isn't anyone."

"Well, there's me. "

"Really?" He asked.

"Really. You know my blood is different, like the faerie's. It's half that."

"Hold a piece of chain in your hand; sliver me if I hurt you."

"Ok. Come here," I said moving so it would be easier for him to get to my neck. He leaned towards me and I waited. Then he bit. I jumped a little but realized it wasn't that bad. I relaxed and waited until he was done. It wasn't an entirely unpleasant feeling. He pulled back and bit his own hand and held it out to me. "I'm not hurt," I said confused.

"We will be one." I took his hand and raised it to my mouth.

**IPOV**

I was sitting in the store with Antonia and Tara when a vampire came on the television. His name was Bill Compton and he was related to Rachel. I remembered her being so terrified and heartbroken when he disappeared and I felt a wave of sadness wash over me. _Ileana! are not Rachel Compton you are Ileana Gavilán a powerful witch, not a human girl who is nothing more than a mere child compared to you._

Antonia turned off the TV and got up angrily she knocked over a table of candles and the scattered across the ground. "That's it? One single vampire!" She yelled. "400 years ago every vampire in the area would've been burned."

"Did you really kill every vampire in Logroño?" I asked.

"Of course I did!"

"Wait," Tara interrupted. "You made that vampire go out into the daylight?"

"Our circle did," Antonia said. "Killing them is the only way to protect ourselves."

"I was killed by vampires, and you almost were," I said to Tara. "You understand how little they think of life. We must restore the balance to this Earth!" I felt a pang inside of me. Almost like a physical pain and it was so terrible I collapsed to my knees.

"Ileana! Are you alright?" Antonia asked.

"Of course," I said standing up slowly. The feeling had passed and I was embarrassed to have let that silly human girl's feelings control me enough to physically effect me.

The phone rang and Tara grabbed it. "Moon Goddess Emporium. Uh huh…What do you want Bill?" Bill was on the phone? I wanted to answer it but I knew that would only lead to bad things. Why was I so easily influenced by Rachel emotions? I should be able to control her! Tara sat the phone down on the table and as I listened to the conversation as I walked away to pretend like I wasn't interested.

"Peace?" I heard my sister say. I scoffed even though I was once again having conflicting emotions. I busied myself with rearranging the candles Antonia had knocked to the floor.

"It is the only way to avoid so much useless death. For both our kinds," I heard Bill say.

"Where?" Antonia asked.

"Bon Temps cemetery."

"Midnight." Tara hung up.

"We're meeting him?" I asked.

"Yes."

"You aren't going to go alone?" Tara asked.

"Of course not. Those vampires will kill us," I told her.

"But Bill is offering peace," Tara said.

"Naïve girl. You don't understand," Antonia laughed.

**LPOV**

A few hours later I was lying in bed with Eric. "I wish you could stay like this forever," I sighed.

"We could run away," Eric said.

"I can't just run away! When Sookie disappeared Rachel ran away and we begged her to come home. When she did come back she knew that running away really hadn't solved anything it had just made things that much harder."

"But I'd never have to get my memory back."

"Those witches attacked you! And other vampires I love are in danger because of them! My sister might be dead for all I know. We have an obligation to stand by Bill in the fight. He's your king and he's practically my dad."

"I just want to be with you forever."

"There's no such thing as forever."

OoOoO

A little while later Eric and I went to see Bill at his house. "What can I do for you Lily?" He asked.

"We want to fight," I told him.

"Against the witches? Lily, this isn't your battle," Bill said.

"They took my sister and they hurt Eric. If you're in this, then so am I."

"A war is not about winning, it is about fighting for what you believe in," Eric said.

"Perhaps I'm not quite as willing to gamble with Lily's life as you," Bill said.

"It's not really either of your decisions what I do with my life," I said standing up in between them.

"Lily you could die."

"I know. But I don't want any of the people I know and love to get hurt because of what they are. What are we in the 1950's again?"

"Thank you," Bill said.

OoOoO

Eric, Pam, Sookie and I were standing in the trees waiting for Bill to call us out. When he motioned for us we walked forward through the trees. The witch revealed her backup as well. Standing closest to her was my sister. I gasped as did Bill and Sookie. "Rachel?"

She looked at me. "My name is Ileana Gavilán de Logroño. This is Antonia my little sister."

"Oh my god," Sookie whispered. Bill recovered quickly and began talking to Antonia and Ileana about the peaceful agreement they were going to come to.

_She's possessed! _I said to Sookie.

_It had to be against her will.___Sookie said.

_Well yeah. You know Rachel. Do you honestly think she'd be fighting with a group of anti-vampire witches by her own free will? _

_How are we supposed to get through to her? _Sookie asked.

_I have no idea. _

_I tried getting in her head. It's totally closed off. _

_Shit._

"Bill she's casting a spell!" Sookie yelled. Antonia revealed the rest of their witches.

"Now!" Bill called forward the rest of our troops. "Surrender now and no one will be hurt." Eric leaped forward and killed one of the witches and that started the battle. Suddenly fog was everywhere. I could hardly see two feet in front of me. A witch raced towards me and I grabbed her shoulder.

"You don't want to hurt anyone. You are going to go home and never practice magic again," I told her.

"I don't want to hurt anyone. I'll just go home and never practice magic again," she repeated. I released her and she ran away. I hoped she'd get out before one of my side killed her. Then I fell to the ground, a sudden pain filling my abdomen. I pulled back my jacket and saw the blood on my shirt. Someone had shot me; I stared at it unable to even scream. Someone picked me up. I looked and saw it was Alcide, I hadn't even realized he was here. I tried to speak but it was hard to take a breath.

"You have to go back for Rachel. She's been possessed. She loves you…" I managed to get out.

"Rachel would want me to save your life first," he said running through the woods. I couldn't say anything else. My mouth wouldn't work. I couldn't feel anything. My eyes started to slide close. "Lily Compton, don't you fucking die on me."

**IPOV**

When Antonia revealed us and I saw Lily my heart stopped. "Rachel?" She asked. I should've known I'd see her here. I should've been prepared. I was torn between myself and Rachel. This was not supposed to happen. I've possessed people before; they would summon a healer to cure a loved one, or a warrior to fight their battles. But this, this feeling of being torn apart, had never happened before.

"My name is Ileana Gavilán de Logroño. This is Antonia my little sister," I said trying to be strong. Bill was explaining the truce we could make and I just wanted Antonia to agree so we could leave. I'd never wanted to strangle my younger sister so much in my entire life. I felt a spell hanging in the air almost like a tangible mist and began chanting it inside my head as well. Once again I was Ileana and there were no extra feelings from Rachel hanging about. I was in charge. Antonia revealed the rest of our witches and several of their vampires ran out of the trees.

"Surrender now and no one will be hurt," Bill said. One of the vampires, the one that had dated Rachel, killed one of our witches and the war began. My sister and I finished casting the spell. A dense fog descended over the cemetery. Antonia grabbed me and pulled me to one side of the cemetery as the fighting started. Eric walked toward us. Antonia raised her hands and made him stop.

"Do you want to do the honors?" She asked.

"This one belonged to Rachel. I'd be happy to take control of him." I repeated the spell that would place him in our control. He dropped to his knees in front of me. I reached out to stroked his hair and laughed.

**LPOV**

I could faintly hear voices arguing. I wanted to tell them to be quiet I was trying to sleep, but my mouth wouldn't open. I could feel something wet dripping down my chin and wondered if I was drooling. I tried to wipe it away with my tongue but once again my mouth wouldn't work. The voices were still angry and I tried to force my eyes open to see what was going on since they wouldn't let me sleep but something seemed to be holding me down refusing to let me do anything. Maybe I was just dreaming and maybe this was just all in my head. I was so sleepy.

**IPOV**

When we all got back to the Emporium everyone was chattering unhappily. "Shut up!" I yelled. They all stopped and stared at me.

"What the hell did you bring him back here for?" Holly asked.

"He's under our control," I said happily. "Aren't you?" I asked him.

"I am yours," the vampire said. What are you going to do about it now, bitch? I asked Rachel bitterly.

"Go in there and clean up, you're disgusting," Antonia told him pushing him towards the bathroom. Antonia walked outside.

"Join hands, we must cast a protective spell," I told everyone.

Tara stepped forward. "I think I speak for everyone when I say that this is not what we signed up for. I sure as hell know it's not what Rachel signed up for."

I laughed. "Does she speak for everyone?"

"Well she sure as hell speaks for me," Holly said.

"Not for me," Roy said.

"Aw good boy," I said.

My sister walked back into the room. "Ileana, did you see this? It was taped to the front door."

I grabbed the flyer. "A civil rights rally? What is this the 1950s? These are vampires, killers; they don't deserve to be able to walk among us as our equals."

"Maybe not but do you really think we should wipe them out? What right do we have?" Tara asked.

"Have you not realized it's the only way to survive?" I asked incredulously. "I can't honestly believe after everything that's happened to you, you still don't want them all dead." I noticed a few people walking towards the door and flung my hand up locking them in. "No one is going anywhere."

**LPOV**

I opened my eyes slowly, afraid to awake from the strange dream. I wasn't sure if I was ready to face reality. Bill and Alcide were watching over me. I smiled happy to have two of my favorite people around. Then I realized someone was missing. "Where's Eric?" I asked.

"My men are already out looking for him," Bill said.

"Lily, come on. You almost died because of fangers. Your sister got tied up in that stuff and look what happened to her," Alcide said.

"Yeah she got possessed by witches. You don't think I noticed? If I can find Eric I can find Rachel and vice versa. They're tied up in each other and in those fucking witches."

"I'm done; with you, with Sookie and with your sister." He walked out. Bill stood up to leave as well.

"Thanks for saving me," I said.

"Anytime."

OoOoO

I had fallen back to sleep on the couch and I woke up to a knock on the door. Sookie was blocking my view of the person and I got up and walked over. "Hi!" Debbie said. "Don't tell me, you're Lily right?"

"Yeah."

"Oh good. Oh my god! What happened to you?" I looked down and saw my shirt was still covered with blood.

"Oh this? It's fine now. I'll just run upstairs and change." I hurried upstairs and grabbed a change of clothes. I kept my mental connections open to keep an eye on the conversation downstairs. It really sounded like Debbie was offering to help. I ran back down the stairs. "What's the plan?" I asked.

"Oh don't pretend like you haven't been listening in," Sookie said rolling her eyes.

I sighed. "Ok so Moon Goddess Emporium tonight?"

OoOoO

A few hours later Sookie and I were breaking into Moon Goddess Emporium while Debbie distracted Antonia and Ileana. I could hear them in the other room and when I looked I could see Rachel black curls bobbing as she talked. I listened in to Debbie.

_She really is someone different. She doesn't remember who I am. What the fuck is going on? God, do I really want her to remember me? I did try to kill her. What if she won't forgive me? Maybe she won't ever have to remember me. Shit Debbie the V is making you crazy._

She's on V again? I didn't have time to think about it I had to get to Eric.

_He's in that room. _I told Sookie. _You watch my back I'm running over there. _I opened the door and saw Eric. I hugged him.

"Lily," he said emptily.

"Come on let's get out of here," I pulled his arm.

"You need to leave."

"They put you under their spell didn't they?"

"I'm going to kill the king," he said.

_Lily! Behind you!_ I whirled around to see Tara pointing a gun at me.

"Don't shoot her!" I heard someone yell. I looked up to see Rachel looking at me. "She might be useful." I realized it wasn't my sister it was just Ileana.

"Lily! Listen to me when I'm talking to you!" Tara yelled. _Bill's at the Dorchester hotel. Charge me Lily, now! _ I ran. I pushed her over and Sookie and I ran out the back door.

**IPOV**

"Ileana," my sister said getting my attention after Lily and Sookie escaped. "I am taking Roy and the vampire to the rally. You stay here and watch the troops."

"You're leaving me here?" I asked.

"I'm not taking any chances on getting you hurt. If I die tonight you must carry on what I started. Don't forget I'm doing this for you."

"Fine." Antonia left with Roy and Eric and I sat down against the wall. I watched as Tara and one of the other witches tried to open the doors. "That isn't going to work." I sighed. Tara walked over to me and sat down on the ground.

"Rachel, I know you're still in there," she said.

"My name is Ileana."

"I know Rachel is still in there too!" She said. I shook my head fiercely.

"Rachel, your sister got shot."

"My sister is Antonia," I told her.

"No you're real sister, Lily."

"Lily?" I hesitated.

"Yes. But I saw Alcide carry her off, and then she came in here earlier. You saw her. Alcide saved her life."

"Alcide? He's the werewolf."

"Yes and you loved him."

"I did?" I was so confused. I didn't know who I was anymore. I was Rachel and I was Ileana. I was two souls fighting for dominance of one body and I had lost myself. I closed my eyes. I was standing in a room. Both of us were. I was facing a girl with black curly hair and a familiar face and I was facing a girl who looked rough and worn, young but old. We were two different people and one and the same. I tried to peel myself apart to separate the two people from each other.

**RPOV**

I was standing there staring at Ileana, her true face. For the first time since I walked into Moon Goddess Emporium with Eric, I knew exactly who I was. My name was Rachel Compton and I was me. "Why did you do this?" I asked her.

"You can trust me. I'm the only person you can trust," she said "We're one and the same."

"No. I'm Rachel Compton and you're Ileana Gavilán."

"Are you sure about that?" She asked.

"Yes."

"See I never lied to you. I promised that I'd help you get your memory back. It seems like you have it back."

"Yeah well you kinda left out that whole section about having to be possessed by witches to remember."

"Everyone else your entire life has lied to you. Your sister, Sookie, Bill, Eric, even Tara, who just helped you remember who you really are by bringing up Alcide."

"What about Alcide?" I asked.

"What about him?"

"Has he ever lied to me, since you seem to know everything about my life?"

"I was you for several days. I know everything there is to know about you. Even things you couldn't see for yourself. It's all about prospective."

"You didn't answer the question."

She sighed. "He never lied to you. And you left him anyway. Oh the irony."

"You don't get the right to judge. You weren't there."

"But I got to relive it. You made a mistake. Just admit it."

"Ok, fine, I screwed up majorly."

"At least you're honest with yourself," She said smiling sadly.

"You aren't though, are you? You keep telling yourself that you want to kill those vampires but you don't really want to do it, do you?"

"Not any more. It was 400 years ago. I've seen things change. I've grown to accept them. Maybe I don't like them but I don't think they deserve to die. After being in your shoes I even know what it's like to love one, even if it was a short and fast burning flame."

I sighed. "Everyone says that about me and Eric."

"Because it's true."

"If you don't want vampires dead why are you letting Antonia go out and kill Bill, a vampire I love?"

"I could stop her, _we_ could."

"You mean you'd have to possess me again."

"Without me you won't even be able to leave this building. Give me one more chance. I'll help you defeat my sister."

I nodded. What did I have to lose? "Ok."

**LPOV**

Debbie dropped me and Sookie off at the rally. We ran inside. Bill had just stepped up to the podium and began his speech. "Bill!" I yelled.

"Lily?"

"Bill run!"


	14. 14 The Heart Wants What The Heart Wants

**LPOV**

Everything was chaos. People were running and screaming, vampires were throwing people against the walls, and Sookie and I were trying to push our way through the crowd towards Bill and Eric.

"Eric!" I yelled. He threw Bill to the ground; Bill pulled out a gun and shot him.

"Eric, don't let her control you!" Sookie said. Eric pushed her to the ground and turned to attack Bill again. "Lily, do something!" She screamed at me. Time seemed to stop, everything moved in slow motion. Eric was about to stake Bill but I couldn't panic now. I jumped in front of him and grabbed his shoulder and looked straight into his eyes.

"You are not going to let her control you. You are going to come out from under her spell," I told him calmly.

"I am not letting her control me. I am not under her spell," he said emptily. He looked away and then his head snapped back to face me. "I remember everything."

**IPOV**

"Rachel?" Tara asked when I opened my eyes.

"It's both of us. This time Rachel and I came to a real agreement. You are going to need me to get out of here," I said sitting up.

"Do you think you can help up break down Antonia's wall?" Holly asked.

"I don't know. I didn't help her cast the spell so I am not sure exactly what kind she used. I'll try a few things. You two start looking through some books and see if you can't find anything. If I can't bring it down myself we'll have to improvise." I began trying all the reversal spells I could think of but it's an extremely difficult task to reverse another witch's spell. Then the door flew open.

_Holly and I won't say anything about you and Rachel working together. Just play along with her. _Tara said. Rachel accepting me as part of her allowed me access to her telepathy abilities, so now I could communicate with our allies without difficulty. Roy ran in and started talking about the rally. I looked behind my sister. Two vampires stood there but neither one of them was Eric.

"Where's Eric?" I asked.

"We lost him," was all she said.

_Is he dead? _Rachel asked.

_I don't know. _I responded.

Antonia walked out of the room mumbling to herself. She rubbed her temples like she had a headache and then disappeared into the back storage room. "Uh Ileana is your sister alright?" Tara asked.

"I don't know." I followed after her into the back room.

**LPOV**

"I remember everything. I remember you and me, and I still feel the same way," Eric said.

"But you've changed," I said.

"No, I'm still that Eric just more. Look at me and tell me you don't still see him in my face." I looked into his eyes. I could almost imagine he was still the Eric that I had fallen in love with, but one thing had changed one very big thing. I looked away quickly.

"Of course I still I see him."

"Then what's the problem?"

"Rachel. You remember her now. Before I could pretend you were a different person and still feel like I wasn't a terrible sister but now that you remember her I can't think of you as someone else."

"Rachel was the first person in a thousand years to ever make me feel human. We had something special, without her I never would've been able to feel the way I feel about you. I needed her to make me human so you could look at me and see some good in me. If you had just met me without Rachel ever being involved you would've looked at me and seen a cold cruel man, but you saw the man I was with Rachel. When I fell in love with you I realized I could be that man all the time."

"I love you, I can't lie and say I don't, but Rachel will never forgive me," I said.

"Rachel hasn't truly been in love with me since last year, ever since she met Alcide. I've known it all this time but up until recently I truly thought I was in love with her. She was never meant for me. When I saw her in Jackson after she'd been with Alcide I knew, I just didn't want to admit it. She may be angry at first but once she realizes how she feels about him she'll never even look at me."

Pam walked in just then. "Oh Eric, are you really back? Is it you?" She asked.

He stood up. "Yes, it's really me."

"I thought I'd lost you forever. How'd you convince her to break the curse?"

"She didn't, Lily did."

"How?" Pam asked looking at me surprised.

"She has a sort of power similar to glamouring."

"And it works on vampires?" She glared at me accusingly like she suspected I'd been using it all along.

"Yes and she is under our protection now. No one else needs to know about what she can do. We'll talk about things later."

"Fine." Eric walked out of the room. Pam was still staring at me.

"I guess I'll be seeing you around a lot more?"

"I guess."

"Shame, I liked your sister more." She walked out after Eric. I was a little hurt but I hoped she'd warm up to me eventually. Pam hadn't liked Rachel much at first either. I walked into the foyer where Sookie was talking to Bill.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Bill's going to blow up moon goddess!" Sookie said.

"I want to help," I said.

"Last time you tried to help you almost died," Bill said.

"But I didn't," I reminded him.

"You might not be so lucky this time."

"You can't just go blow it up, Tara's inside!" Sookie insisted stepping in front of me.

"I'm not going to miss this chance for one human's life."

"Fine." Sookie stormed out.

"I'm helping whether you like it or not," I said.

Bill sighed. "Fine. You can sleep here so you're ready when nightfall comes."

**IPOV**

When I got to the room I flung myself from Rachel's body as did Antonia from Marnie's, so I was standing face to face with my sister, leaving Marnie and Rachel looking a little dazed. "You can't go on doing this Antonia," I said.

"We've barely started our work."

"I saw what you did." I left out exactly how I saw it. "I can see what you're doing to these people. It's not right."

"Last night was a victory! We almost killed the king of Louisiana," Antonia said.

"One king of one state of one country! There are thousands of vampire kings and queens not to mention all the AVL and all the other Authorities out there. You'll never win and if you do you'll take down half the world's population for just those vampires, not to mention the rest of them! 400 years ago the world was tiny compared to what it is today, 400 years ago you might have been able to succeed and that's only just a maybe. What you're doing makes you no better than them."

"Of course we're better than them Ileana! This is who we are!"

"No, this is who you are. I was a healer. I healed as many people as I could. I tried to teach you," I told her.

"You taught me everything I know now."

"Only to stop death from taking over our whole village. You turned the gift I shared with you into a weapon."

"I was trying to save your life!" She yelled.

"I did not come back to shed the blood of the innocent."

"No, you came back to avenge your murder!"

"I've come to peace with it. You're the one that is still fighting nature. I'm happy, I'm immortal."

"I think you've been gone from the mortal world too long sister. You've forgotten what people are really like," Antonia said.

"I don't care what they're like! I help people! For 400 years I was content with helping people save family members and stick up for themselves. Things I did as a human," I said.

"Those people you help use you and then throw you out like you're nothing. People like that watched me burn at the stake, people like that didn't even mourn over you when those vampires drained you."

"They couldn't. If one person had stepped out of the house in black or shed a single tear they would've been murdered as well, proclaimed a heretic by the church and eaten for dinner. Even you had to mourn for me in secrecy." She shook her head. There was nothing I could do. I tried talking sense into her but she wasn't having it.

"Fight with me my sister, one last time," she begged.

_We'll have to use force there isn't anything I can do now. _I told Rachel.

"For a life without vampires," I said.

"That's all I want."

"Ok my sister. I'm with you."

OoOoO

We were standing in the main room of the store when Rachel told me that Sookie, Jason, Lafayette and Jesus were outside. Jesus was trying to break through the wall.

"Antonia, there is a brujo trying to come in," I told her.

"I'll take care of him you keep an eye on the other witches."

"Alright." Now might be my only chance to talk to Tara and Holly. Tara had told me she found some stuff she thought might work and I was dying to try it out all my efforts had been useless. I walked into the other room where they were crowded around some books.

"Ok guys what did you find?" I asked.

Holly handed me a few books. "I think these are spells of reversal and unlocking."

"This one is for renewing and refreshing," I said pointing to one of the books.

"I guess we shouldn't use that one then," Tara said.

"Actually it's good to include the counter to the spell you're trying to perform. Like the yin and the yang, you need a little of one to make the other." They both nodded listening much like my students had 400 years ago. "Let me see." I grabbed a pen and started marking a few passages in the books. "Ok follow my lead. Let's hope this works. I always was the stronger witch." We joined hands and I started chanting, the two of them joined in reading off the paper. "It's open! You two run now!"

"We can't leave you here!" Holly said.

"Go!" I yelled. They ran out of the room towards the main doors. I heard Antonia yell something outside and they both appeared back in the building with Sookie, Lafayette and Jesus. I jumped up as if I was surprised at what all was lying on the table. "Did you get them?" I asked Antonia.

"Yes. These two found a way to bring down the wall but I reinforced it. They shouldn't be able to get out now."

"I just saw all this stuff. It's crazy how much you can learn from a few books!"

Antonia looked at me suspiciously for a second before nodding. "It is. We don't have to worry about that now."

"Everything is going to be perfect."

**LPOV**

That night we pulled up outside Moon Goddess Emporium wearing all black. We made a great badass vampire bomb squad. I had several different kinds of weapons ready to go just in case I needed to fight someone. I jumped out of the van prepared for a fight. People were going to die tonight, that much was certain, I just didn't know who.

"The object is to take down Antonia as quickly as possible," Bill told us.

"What about Ileana?" Pam asked.

"If it comes to it we'll take her out too." I nodded knowing it was the only way.

**IPOV **

"Rachel! I know you're still in there!" Sookie yelled when she saw me.

"No, she's not."

"I know she's still there!"

"Listen to me, Sookie," I paused hoping she'd take the hint. "Rachel isn't here."

_Ileana and I are working together. Antonia doesn't know. _Rachel said. Sookie nodded slightly letting me know she'd gotten my message.

"Vampires are outside," Antonia told us.

_My sister is out there._ Rachel told me. _I'm going to try to talk to her. Lily? Can you hear me? _Rachel asked.

_Rachel! Oh my god. Are you ok? _I heard Lily say.

_I'm fine._

_Did you get rid of that witch?_

_Not exactly. We're working together now to take down Marnie-Antonia. It's not just Antonia anymore Marnie is bad news too. Do you guys have a plan?_

_Yeah, but it's not a very good one. Anything you can do to help from the inside would be greatly appreciated. _Lily said.

_I'm on it._

"Bill and Eric are here to blow up the place. If we stay inside we're all going to die," Sookie said.

One of the girls ran at Antonia and she flung a knife into her chest. Everyone screamed including me. "It was self defense Ileana you saw that."

"Antonia, I need to talk to you. Face to face." I threw myself out of Rachel and waited for Antonia to do the same. She sighed and then she appeared in front of me. "You murdered an innocent Antonia!" I yelled.

"It was self defense!"

"You've used everything I taught you for evil. Killing and destroying everything in your path. This is not what we were meant to do Antonia."

"But we're so close to reaching our goal!"

"You are not the person I thought you were, my sister. I'm taking you with me. Maybe a few hundred years trapped in the spirit world will be enough time for me to knock some sense into you."

"You will not leave me!" Marnie yelled.

"Marnie what are you doing?" Rachel hissed pulling her back. Marnie yanked away from Rachel and stepped towards Antonia and I. She began chanting. I was being drawn back towards Rachel and Antonia was being pulled back to Marnie. I grabbed my sister's arm and tried to pull her away from Marnie but I wasn't strong enough and we were both bound into our hosts.

"Damn it, Marnie!" Rachel yelled.

**LPOV**

We were just getting ready to open fire on the building when Jason came running around the corner. "Jason? What are you doing here?" I asked.

"You can't blow this place up. Sookie's inside!"

"I told her to stay away!" Bill said.

"You honestly expected her to listen?" Eric asked.

"Fucking Sookie," I mumbled.

"As usual she's in the goddamn way," Pam said nodding.

"I can't believe you Lily. Sookie has helped you and Rachel over and over. She let you stay with her when you had nowhere else to go," Jason said to me.

"But every time there's a life or death situation she manages to fuck it up even worse," I said.

"We must abort," Bill said.

Eric nodded. "I agree."

"Rachel's in there too and you don't see me having a cow about it. I know what needs to be done. A few lives in exchange for millions."

"I agree with Lily, we just need to do it," Pam said.

"We'll find another way," Bill said.

**RPOV**

I realized I was totally in control now. I had all of Ileana's magic but I was the one controlling everything. I looked over at Jesus. "Help me." I mouthed. He nodded. He was looking at Casey's body and he laid a finger on her neck. He gasped. "She's still alive! Lafayette, help me move her to the bathroom." I walked towards the window and looked outside. Marnie must've sent the vampire slaves outside when I wasn't looking. Bill killed one of them and had the other trapped against the ground.

"Antonia!" Bill yelled. "Show your face."

"Marnie, we should go outside," I said.

"The vampires seem to like you," Marnie said grabbing Sookie. "I'll bring you with us."

"Marnie wants to negotiate," Sookie told them when we exited the building

"What can I do to serve, Antonia?" the vampire that Bill was holding down asked. Marnie chanted something and a few seconds later the vampire was frying in the force field.

"The power of the sun harnessed into one place, clever," I said.

"Antonia and I came up with it ourselves," Marnie told me.

"Let the girls go!" Bill yelled.

"Oh they can go but I need something from you first," Marnie said.

"What?" Bill asked.

"Your lives," she said smirking.

"Make them a real offer, they'll listen I know they will," Sookie said.

"Kill yourselves and they all go free," Marnie told them, ignoring Sookie.

"I accept," Bill said.

"Fine," Eric said.

"No!" Sookie, Lily and I all screamed. Sookie and I watched as Eric got on his knees and Bill prepared to shoot him. Jessica was holding back Lily who was screaming and trying to fight her way towards them.

"I don't think so!" Pam yelled. She grabbed one of the grenade launchers and shot it towards the building. Sookie and I leaped back. It bounced back and there was an explosion. Marnie grabbed Sookie and pulled her back inside. I looked over my shoulder trying to find Lily in the smoke but I couldn't see anything.

**LPOV**

I was dying again. I was burned on pretty much every body part and it hurt like hell. Something had fallen off the roof of the other building and landed on my legs and I couldn't move them. It was so smoky I couldn't see two feet in front of me. My ears were ringing and all I could hear was my own whimpers.

"Where's Lily!" I heard someone yell. I tried to speak but nothing would come out of my mouth. It all felt very similar to when I had gotten shot except that hadn't hurt so much.

Someone came through the smoke and bent over me. I could only make out the shape of a person as my eyes drifted close. They were forcing me to open my mouth and drink something. I did just to make them go away so they would just leave me alone to die. I wouldn't miss much about Earth but I would miss Eric. Maybe they would save everyone inside and he and Rachel would live happily ever after. In a few decades they wouldn't even remember my name. I tried to imagine a world where all my loved ones were happy. But I realized maybe it wasn't my fault we weren't all happy. It was just that we wouldn't admit what we really wanted.

Then I felt the weight on my legs go away. I opened my eyes and now I could see Eric and Bill leaning over me. I wrapped my arms around Eric's neck and hugged him as tight as I could. "Thank you for saving me."

"If you died I'd never be able to forgive myself." He picked me up and rested me against the wall.

"I need to go talk to Pam. I'll be right back," Eric said brushing my hair out of my face.

"Ok." I collapsed back against the wall. Even though I was all healed I was exhausted, having a near death experience tended to have that effect on me. I closed my eyes for what felt like only a second. Then Jason was yelling at me to help him. I jumped up and saw Bill, Jessica, Pam and Eric being pulled towards the force field. I grabbed Eric's arm and tried to pull him back.

"I can't control it," he said. I tried to get into a good position so I could look into his eyes and influence him to stop but he was struggling so much that I couldn't get him to face me for longer than a second. I tried tackling him but that didn't work. I started to cry out of frustration and the knowledge that if I gave up he would be burned to a crisp. And then it suddenly stopped. Just like that we all fell to the ground.

"What the hell just happened?" Jason asked.

**RPOV**

"The vampires are planning on killing us all. We must form a circle," Marnie said. No one moved. "Those vampires have no regard for human lives. This is the only way to protect ourselves."

The group grudgingly moved into a circle. Sookie and I stood in the corner. "Rachel, we need you and Ileana to protect us."

_She's right. Antonia isn't strong enough to protect us all. _Ileana said.

I sighed. "Fine." Marnie started to chant and we all repeated her.

_Wait! Rachel, this isn't a protection spell this is an attack. Break the circle now! _Ileana told me. I tried to pull my hands free of Holly's and Sookie's but they wouldn't budge. It was as if we had all been super glued together.

_I'm trying but nothing is happening! _I told Ileana.

_Sookie the vampires are being pulled into the force field. You must use your light. It's the only way. _Ileana told Sookie.

_I've never been able to control it. _Sookie said.

_You don't have a choice. It's the only way. _Sookie, who tended to perform well under pressure, sent a jolt through the circle. Everyone fell to the ground except for the two of us. Marnie stood up and stepped toward us.

"You betrayed us," she said.

"I can't control it. Sometimes it just happens when I get upset," Sookie said. Marnie started chanting and Sookie and I were surrounded by fire. It was closing in slowly and Sookie was screaming.

_Join hands! _Ileana commanded. I grabbed Sookie's hands and repeated what Ileana told me to say. _I'm being pulled away. So is Antonia. Once we're gone the magic will stop. _ Ileana said. I could feel Ileana being pulled out of me and let go of Sookie's hands. Illeana appeared to be floating above me.

"Goodbye," I said.

"Thank you for making me open my eyes to this new world."

"You're welcome. I'll miss you."

She laughed. "No you won't. But I will miss you. Remember what I told you, your heart knows what it really wants you just need to listen to it." She vanished. The fire around Sookie and I went out. Bill and Eric came through the doors and stood in the middle of the room holding guns.

"Don't shoot! Marnie was holding them hostage I swear," Sookie said.

"Just Marnie then." Bill raised the gun and shot her several times. Sookie and I sighed in relief. I looked over at Eric but he wouldn't look straight at me.

"Rachel, there's something I need to tell you. While you were gone-" Sookie was interrupted by Lily running into the room. She threw her arms around Eric and kissed him.

"Oh my god," I said.

"I'm so sorry," Sookie said.

**LPOV**

The force field collapsed. "Lily you stay here. I'm not letting you get hurt again," Bill said. They ran inside and I waited until I heard the gun shots. I ran in after them to see what had happened. Eric was standing next to the door talking to Bill. I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him.

"Don't you ever do anything like that again. When I thought I was going to lose you I didn't care if we all died or not because there wasn't any way I was living in a world that didn't have you in it," I said.

"I thought you weren't sure about us," Eric said.

"I've never been surer about something in my entire life."


	15. 15 Sisters Stick Together

**LPOV **

I woke up extra early, before Sookie or Tara got out of bed, and went up to Rachel's room. I knocked on her door hesitantly. There was a groan and a mumbled voice that said something that could have been "go away" but I wasn't positive. "Rach?" I called.

There was a pause. "Come in." I opened the door and poked my head in to see a very sleepy looking Rachel barely sitting up in bed.

"Can we talk?" I asked.

"What do we have to talk about at 5 o'clock in the morning?" She asked.

"You know."

"It's 5 o'clock in the morning. I honestly don't remember," she said unhappily. "Are you going to waste my time just standing there or are you going to say something?"

"The Eric thing," I reminded her.

"Oh. That."

"Yes, that."

"It isn't a big deal," She said waving me away. She started to lay back down.

"I hooked up with your boyfriend who had lost him memory due to crazy witches, the same witches that also kidnapped you. What part of that isn't a big deal?" I asked skeptically.

"Look, Eric and I are done. We should've been done months ago but I was stupid and I made a mistake. Talking to Ileana really helped me see that. She knew more about me than I did, if that makes any sense. She helped me figure out I needed to stop running away from what I want and start owning up to my mistakes."

"You have a right to be mad at me. You know that right?" I asked.

"Of course I do. I'm just choosing not to be. You're my sister, I could never be mad at you for very long." I stared at her blankly ready for her to laugh and say "Just kidding bitch, I want you out of my life forever." She sighed loudly. "I want you to be happy. If Eric makes you happy then I want you to be with Eric. Ok?"

"Ok?" I said uncertainly.

"I'm serious. I want you to go over to Bill's at sundown and tell Eric that the two of you have my blessing or whatever."

"If you're sure?"

"I'm positive! Now go away so I can get some sleep ok?"

"Ok." I walked towards the door. I looked over my shoulder. "Rach?"

"What else?"

"Nothing. Just, thanks."

"No problem." She said with a sleepy smile.

**RPOV**

When I walked down stairs a few hours later Sookie, Lily and Tara were sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee. I poured myself a cup and sat down grabbing the sugar and milk jug. "What are we fucking magnets for trouble or something?" Tara asked.

"Oh god! Please don't say that!" Lily groaned. Sookie and Tara laughed.

"Someday I see myself growing old and sitting on the front porch with my grandbabies in my lap," Sookie said.

"I've always wanted that too." I said nodding.

"You aren't going to get that dating a vampire," Lily said. She didn't say it rudely but she looked surprised with herself afterwards like she hadn't expected the words to come out of her mouth, she was still walking on egg shells around me.

"I know," I said quietly.

"You know I've never wanted kids. It's not that I don't like them; it's just that I only like other people's kids, plus I'd be a terrible mother I missed out on that nurturing gene. But I'd love to be sitting on that porch with you guys," Lily said.

"I hope you are," I said smiling at her reassuringly.

OoOoO

A few hours later I went at Merlotte's with Sookie and Lily for our afternoon shift. The three of us walked into Sam's office. "Lily, Rachel! Thank god the two of you are back! Rachel you can cook right?" Sam asked, ambushing us as soon as we walked in the room.

"Why?" I asked careful not to agree to anything too quickly, I'd ended up roped into garbage duty many a time just by answering the wrong question the right way.

"Lafayette's gone MIA and we could use someone in the back."

"Yeah, I can do that," I said.

"And Lily can you cover section 3 and yours? We're a bit short on waitresses right now," Sam said.

"Yeah sure," Lily said.

"Oh, before you go." He reached into a box and handed me and Lily each a pair of kitty ears and Sookie a pair of bunny ears.

"Ooh!" I said happily and pulled pink lipstick and black eyeliner out of my purse.

"I don't like that sound," Lily said. I shushed her and rubbed a bit of lipstick on her nose then drew whiskers with the eye liner.

"Here, now do me." I waited as she drew on my makeup and smiled at my reflection in the mirror.

"Purrrfect," she said laughing. I laughed and the two of us left the office together.

**LPOV**

I was behind the bar when Alcide walked in. "Hey," I said carefully.

"Hey," he said taking a seat across the bar from me

"I thought you were mad at me," I told him crossing my arms.

"It's pretty hard to stay mad at you, especially with the cute little pink nose." He laughed.

I rolled my eyes. "Rachel's idea, clearly." I walked around the bar and sat next to him. "I'm sorry about the other day; I shouldn't have gotten mad at you. You did save my life after all."

"It was my fault; I shouldn't have yelled at you, I was just worried."

"I understand. So where's Debbie? I thought she pretty much had you under lock and key these days." He sighed and shook his head. "What happened?" I asked.

"You were right about her. Some people never change."

I sighed. "I really am sorry."

"Is Rachel here?" He asked.

"Yeah, she's in the back. I'll go get her." I walked towards the back hallway where Rachel was peering around the corner. "Hey creeper, he wants to talk to you," I said.

"To me?" She squeaked out sounding uncharacteristically insecure.

I sighed again. "Yes."

"How do I look?" She asked.

"You look amazing," I assured her. She nodded before walking past me and around the corner her confident self once more.

**RPOV**

"Hey," I said walking up.

"It's been a while," he said.

"Yeah it has. Witches, you know? Real pain in the ass." He laughed and the ice was broken just like that. "I'm really glad you wanted to see me. How's Janice?" I asked.

"She reopened her salon."

"Oh that's great!"

"How's Sookie?" He asked.

"Oh she's good. How's work?" I asked.

"It's coming in. You're working at Merlotte's again, I guess?"

"Yeah." There was a silence and I let down my guard so I could peer into his head, I just needed to know if he still hated me. Of course he was thinking about when I walked out. "I'm sorry," I said quickly. He jumped when he realized I had been reading his mind. "Every time I close my eyes I remember that night," I said.

"Me too," he said sounding a little bitter.

"I wish I could've seen how good my life was then. It took that witch getting inside my head to make me realize I screwed up, majorly. If I could go back and change it I would. It's like this reoccurring dream where I try to fix it but never can." I paused but he didn't say anything, he was just watching me. I sighed before continuing. "I miss everything about you. You were the first person I ever felt totally comfortable with and you made me feel safe. Maybe– maybe I'm being totally stupid but if you gave me a second chance, well, I can't promise that I'd be perfect. I know I'll screw up all the time but I swear that no matter what happens I'll never stop loving you." I stopped and he didn't say anything. I just nodded and starting to walk back to the kitchen before I started crying in the middle of Merlotte's dining room, but his voice stopped me.

"Do you remember at the beginning of summer when the two of us would just get in the car and drive with nowhere to go? Every time you expected me to have a plan and every time you got upset when I told you I didn't know where we would end up. You always did like to know the end of things. Guess that comes from the clairvoyance." He laughed quietly. "I know exactly when you started having second thoughts; maybe even before you knew it yourself. You started slipping away into some world of your own until finally you actually left." I nodded and turned around to face him. "Remember when you told me that if you knew what was best for you, you would've fallen in love with someone like me?" He asked.

"That was a long time ago. But yeah I remember."

"We know what the right thing is and maybe it's time we stopped resisting. Debbie is out of my life, for good this time. I should never have let you go, I should have fought you when you told me you were leaving. Instead I tried to force myself to move on, clearly that didn't work." Then his phone rang. He answered it and talked to the person on the other end for a second before hanging up. "I have to go," he said sounding a little worried.

"Is there anything I can do?" I asked concerned.

"You could come with me," he said.

I smiled. "I'd love to."

**LPOV**

That night I was finishing my shift off at Merlotte's and was getting ready to head over to Bill's to talk to Eric who had stayed there. I grabbed my cell out of my pocket and called Bill to make sure it was ok if I came over. I almost wanted him to say that I couldn't so I wouldn't have to deal with Eric today. The phone rang a few times before going straight to voice mail, Bill always answered his phone. I didn't think much about it though and figured I'd just head over anyway, whether I wanted to or not. Tara ran in and grabbed me. She pulled me outside where Sookie and Holly were standing talking while Sookie lit all the pumpkins. "Tara what's going on?" I asked. Sookie and Holly looked up.

"She's back, Marnie's back!" Tara said.

"How is that even possible?" Sookie asked.

"We all saw her die," Holly said.

"I think she's in Lafayette," Tara said.

"We've got to get to Bill's right now!" I said. "I called him a few minutes and he didn't pick up. If Marnie is back that would be the first place she'd go."

OoOoO

Ten minutes later we were pulling up outside Bill's house. I called Rachel on the way but got no answer. She had left in the middle of her shift so I assumed she must have left with Alcide. Bill and Eric were tied up in the middle of the front yard. Sookie, Tara, Holly and I ran towards them but Marnie as Lafayette stepped in front of us. "Marnie, please don't do this!" I pleaded.

"After all they've done to you, you protect them?"

"Killing them won't solve your problems," Tara said.

"Killing people makes you no better than what you want to destroy," I said.

"They aren't people!" Marnie yelled.

"Casey was a person wasn't she? And all those people at the rally. They died because you refuse to give up! You'll never find peace if you stay in this world. Cross over with Antonia and Ileana."

"There can't be peace until there is justice." As Marnie turned her back to us Holly started making a circle with salt. Bill saw her and looked over at me. I motioned for him to keep Marnie talking.

"Marnie what will this serve? There are more of us being made every night!" Bill said.

"He's right; you'll never be able to kill every vampire. The population growth is exponential! For every one vampire that you kill there are ten more created."

"Thanks to all of you I have nothing left to lose!" Marnie said. She raised her hands and flames flared up around Eric and Bill. Sookie shocked Marnie and she fell to the ground outside the circle. Holly finished the circle and pulled us inside. "Grab hands. Quickly!" She began chanting and we joined her. I could hear Eric and Bill screaming and I chanted louder hoping it would make the spell work quicker. When I looked up, people filled the graveyard. In the front of the crowd were Antonia and Ileana. Ileana smiled at me before motioning towards the fire putting it out.

"All creatures are put on this Earth for a reason, Marnie," Ileana said.

"Even vampires," Antonia said. She sounded a bit reluctant to admit it.

"How can you say that? They killed both of you!" Marnie yelled.

"Even that served its purpose, it brought the three of us together," Antonia said.

"The third Gavilán sister," Ileana said.

"I'm not done yet!"

"Yes you are!" An old lady yelled. I recognized her from a photo in Sookie's living room.

"Gran?" Sookie asked weakly. Adele Stackhouse walked up to Marnie and pulled her right out of Lafayette.

"I don't want to go!" Marnie said.

"Antonia and I were trapped between worlds for 400 years. I was lost and she was driven mad by the rage and bitterness she kept stored up. We don't want either of those fates to happen to you," Ileana said.

"Don't you understand Marnie? Life is full of pain and suffering. If you come with me you will be free. Leave these vampires here; they'll be trapped in this world of suffering forever. That is their punishment," Antonia said.

"You're right," Marnie said before screaming and bursting into tears. Antonia and Ileana took Marnie's arm and led her away, Sookie walked towards her Gran and I went and started trying to untie Eric and Bill.

OoOoO

When I finally managed to get Eric and Bill down I realized Sookie, Tara, Holly and Lafayette had gone home. I was the only one left to give blood. Not that I minded as much anymore, I trusted both of them enough not to drink me dry, but fucking Sookie! It really makes you dizzy when you lose enough blood to fully heal two burnt vampires. I pulled my arms back. "Ok, I think that's enough." They rubbed some of their blood on my wrists to heal me.

"You saved our lives," Bill said.

"Yeah, well, it's about time that I was the one to do the saving. I seem to get into a lot of bad situations where I'm the one that needs to be saved," I said. I looked at Bill. "Do you think you could give us a minute?"

"Of course." Once Bill was gone I turned back to Eric.

"Thank you," he said.

"You don't have to thank me. Like I've told you I can't imagine a world without you in it."

He smiled. "Did you talk to Rachel?"

"I did." I paused. "She said that she just wants me to be happy and if you make me happy then I should be with you. I have a feeling she went off with Alcide today, I hope the two of them work things out."

"I do too." I lay against him and he wrapped his arms around me.

"Do you think you'll ever want to be turned?" He asked.

"I don't know, what Antonia said about life being suffering and that being the vampire's punishment was a pretty convincing argument against it," I said like I was really considering what she had said even though her words didn't have an effect on me. I sighed. "I don't know. I just want to see how things go."

"Just tell me when you make up your mind. And for the record I love being a vampire, I don't mind being stuck here forever." I laughed and turned around to kiss him.

"I love you," I told him.

"I love you too."

**RPOV**

Alcide and I pulled up at a parking garage that his company had built. He'd gotten a call from one of his workers while we were sitting in Merlotte's about a hole in the ground. "When did this happen?" Alcide asked the construction guy.

"Last night, the night before, I don't remember," he said.

"You don't remember?" I asked. Alcide and I shared a look.

"I'm sorry boss, it's like someone hit the delete button in my brain."

"Look at me," I told him. I recognized the blank look, the same one that Ginger had.

"Fuck, you've been glamoured," Alcide said.

"Why would a vamper want to glamour me? Or dig a hole in a parking garage?" Alcide and I walked up to the hole and looked in. Alcide leaned down and picked up something. He handed it to me. "Silver," he said.

I looked at it for a second confused before remembering last year when Eric had showed up covered in sticky concrete after Bill had tried to kill him. If I remembered correctly they said they had killed Russell that night. "Holy shit."

**LPOV**

Nan had just burst in all high and mighty yelling about how she quit her job and how she wanted to revolt against the AVL and the Authority. I was sitting in one of the chairs listening to her rant. "My last duty was supposed to be delivering the true death to both of you; of course I realized I'd be next. I've been alive for 816 years; I refuse to be retired like a fat first wife!"

"Let me get this straight. You're mutinying against the AVL and the Authority?" Eric asked.

"And you expect us to join you?" Bill asked.

"We won't be alone; there are others that don't agree with the current regime. Sheriff Northman knows what I'm talking about," Nan said. I raised an eyebrow at him and he shrugged.

"What's in it for us?" Eric asked.

"Besides surviving the night? How about those three little faeries you love so much?" She motioned to me. I looked at Bill who was staring at her shocked. "Oh come on! Mind reading, microwave fingers, physic abilities? There are a few thousand vampires that would do anything to get a taste of their blood." She looked at me. "I think you'd rather not be eaten, am I correct?"

"It would be preferable," I said curtly. She glared at me. "But Rachel has her werewolf and I could always get one of these two to change me. Something tells me we could fend for ourselves."

"You think you're so smart-" Before the end of her sentence Bill and Eric had killed both her and her guards.

"What a bitch," Eric said.

I stood up and stepped around the bodies. "Ew."


	16. 16 Before Things Get Better

**RPOV**

"That's Russell Edgington isn't it?" Alcide asked once we were safely back in his truck.

"You knew about that?" I asked surprised.

"I'm the one who poured the concrete."

"You knew Russell was alive and you didn't tell me?" I asked a little sharper than I had intended, I was still in shock.

"I didn't think he'd be getting out anytime soon, I figured it wouldn't be in your life time."

"Obviously you were wrong," I said.

"Obviously."

"We need to get Sookie and Lily, if Russell is out the three of us are in danger. Lily is probably safe enough with Bill and Eric but Sookie is all alone now."

"I'll protect you," he said giving my hand a squeeze.

**LPOV**

"Do you have clothes here?" Eric asked stopping his super cleaning for a second.

"Yeah I have an extra bag in my old room," I said.

"Go get it. Bill and I are on the top of the Authority's most wanted list, they won't hesitate to hurt you to get to us."I looked over at Bill who nodded.

"He's right, the Authority is ruthless. We'll find you somewhere safe to hide, we'll get Sookie and Rachel there as well," Bill said.

"No, if you two are in danger I'm staying with you. I can glamour vampires, I-"

"All the more reason for you to hide, if the Authority or any other vampires catch wind of that you'll be hunted down as well."

"Bill-" I started to protest.

"We do not have time to argue right now. Lily, get your things and meet us in the car," Eric said silencing me. I turned and jogged up the stairs to my room and grabbed my extra duffle from my closet, I stuffed some basic necessities like my toothbrush and deodorant from my bathroom in it as well. I turned to leave but stopped short when I heard a scream from down below. I poked my head around the door frame but didn't see anyone outside. I walked down the stairs my footsteps hardly making a sound, I'd learned every creaky board after months of trying to sneak out without Bill noticing, and towards the door but before I could get out someone had me around the waist and picked me up. I began kicking and screaming but it was no use.

"This is one of the fairies," The vampire holding me said to another vampire who was already in the car.

"Good, bring her along. Toss her in the back seat though, we wouldn't want those two draining her in the trunk," the other vampire, a British female, said from the passenger's seat. The man holding me quickly tied me in a thick rope and gagged me. The ropes were loose and it would have been easy for me to slip out but instead of running now I chose to wait until the perfect moment. I didn't resist too much getting in the car, if they saw that my fae strength was a match for their vamp strength they might want to check my ropes again, or bind me in chains.

OoOoO

We rode in silence for what felt like hours but couldn't have really been that long. I began to hear a voice in my head, it was persistent and deliberate and I realized it was coming through from the trunk.

"_Lily? I…" _It seemed almost like static was interrupting him, I never had much luck getting into vamps heads but I always got more than Sookie or my sister. "_get out of the car. Kick the door…you, I know you…do it." _Bill said. I didn't know why he was so intent on me getting out right then but I didn't have a choice but to listen to him. I kicked hard putting all my strength into knocking the door out. It went flying and I rolled out after it landing roughly onto hard pavement and sliding a few feet. I was glad for the hoodie I had tossed on before leaving my room because it absorbed most of the fall on my arms, though it rolled up around my abdomen and I could feel the sticky warmness of blood on my sides and lower back. I groaned in pain as I came to a stop. I looked towards the car which had gone quite a ways from where I was lying, but the car was no longer there. In its place was fire and burning pieces of metal and plastic. So that's why they needed me out of the car, suddenly the pavement burns didn't feel quite so bad.

"Lily?" A voice called through the smoke. Eric appeared and knelt beside me. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, just some scrapes and bruises, I'll be ok." I tried to stand up by myself but my legs felt like jello. Eric wrapped him arms around me carefully as to not bump the cuts. "Where's Bill?"

"He's fine, he's over here. There's someone I want you to meet." The female vampire was standing next to Bill watching me. "Lily, this is my sister Nora. Nora, Lily Compton."

"She does smell delightful, doesn't she?" Nora said sniffing the air a little. "Come on, if you three want to live we need to keep moving. I had to call ahead to get a rush job done for her papers but hopefully we've got something." She regarded me as if I was a stray cat that was highly unwanted in her presence, and I didn't much like her. I couldn't really tell Eric that though, it was his sister after all.

"Papers?" I asked instead.

"This is the last night you will be known as Lily Compton," Nora said.

"Oh." I said with a squeak before pressing my head into Eric's chest. He carried me across shipping docks as I slipped in and out of consciousness. Maybe I had lost a little more blood than I had thought but it couldn't be all that serious if Eric hadn't stopped to heal me yet, not that I would let him there were too many people after him that if he slowed down for me we might be captured in an instant. Yes, stopping was out of the question. I tried to keep up on Nora's explanation as to why she was going against the Authority, she was a high position after all and this stunt could cost her everything, but it was hard to stay in the loop when darkness kept sneaking up on the corners of my brain.

"We'll go to ground here for the night," Nora said. I twisted my head to see a large gaudy orange shipping container. Eric placed me on the ground carefully and knelt next to me. He pulled my shirt back slowly to reveal the cuts and I winced as the drying over bits were ripped back out. He cut one of his fingers and began massaging blood into my scrapes until I could feel the skin knitting together. Nora was on the phone a few feet away and she glowered at me when she noticed I was staring.

"I don't think your sister likes me all that much," I said.

"It's not you it's the stress, she's not normally like this," Eric said

"Right," I said unconvinced.

"Feeling better?" Bill asked sitting against the opposite wall.

"Just tired," I said nodding. Eric pulled off his leather jacket, folded it up and slid it under my head.

"Sleep," he said kissing my forehead. I didn't need much more prodding than that, for some reason being on the run took a lot out of me, and I was asleep in an instant.

**RPOV**

Alcide and I pulled up outside of Sookie's house. Alcide walked up and knocked and I waved through the window when I saw her running down the stairs. She opened the door all smiles, "Alcide, Rachel!"

"Hey," I said awkwardly trying to figure out why she was so damn cheerful.

"We need to talk," Alcide said getting to the point.

"Oh yeah of course, come on in. I'll just go grab us some drinks." She steered us a little forcefully into the living room. I turned on my heel and followed her into the kitchen which had that over cleaned lemon and bleach smell.

"Been doing a little cleaning?" I asked.

"Oh yeah," she said opening the fridge.

"What is going on with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you're acting all over the top sugary sweet, that's not natural."

"Look a lot of stuff is going on-"

Alcide walked in just then interrupting our conversation. "It was getting lonely in the living room."

_Stuff like what? _I asked.

"What was so important you had to rush right down here to tell me?" Sookie asked Alcide.

_Tara is in the ground._ Sookie told me.

_Tara is-Oh my god! What the fuck happened while I was gone?_

_It's a little too much to explain right now ok? Lafayette is upstairs, he's not taking it well._

"Sook, its Russell Edgington. He's alive," I said out loud.

"That's not possible, you heard Bill, he's dead."

"No I head Bill say he was taken care of. Remember how Eric showed up covered in concrete? After Bill, with Alcide's help, buried Russell he tried to do the same to Eric."

"Why would they do that? He's over 3000 years old; he's more powerful than both of them combined."

"Why do Bill and Eric do half the things they do? Sookie, you're in danger we all are. Come stay with me and Alcide, Lily has plenty of protection with Eric and Bill but you don't have anyone."

"I can't," she said.

"Sookie listen to us," Alcide begged.

"I don't want to drag you two into this mess I've made, please just let me stay."

"What mess? Sook what else happened while I was gone?" I asked.

"Rachel, please-"

"What happened?" I asked more forcefully.

"Last night, after I got back from Bill and Eric's, you had gone with Alcide and Lily had stayed at Bill's. When I got home-" Lafayette came running down the stairs then and Alcide jumped up.

"You two need to leave," he said.

"Lala?"

"No. Rachel, you and your messed up supernatural life need to get the hell out of Sookie's. We are both done with all of that shit and you need to be done with it too, but until you get far away from them werewolves and whatever the fuck else you need to stay the hell away from us."

"Lafayette, what the fuck is your problem?"

"Leave Rachel."

"Fine." I turned and walked out the front door without looking back. Alcide followed me out and we both got into his truck, he stared at me for a second before saying anything.

"What just happened back there?" He asked.

"You heard them, they don't want our help. If Russell comes after her at least we tried to warn her. We can't save everyone." I paused and shook my head. "Fucking Sookie."

**LPOV**

I woke up to Nora and Eric in the middle of an argument right outside. "She's human, Eric!"

"She's more than that and you know it. The Authority wouldn't want her so much if she was simply a human."

"She has no place in the life of a vampire," Nora said venomously. So I was right about her not liking me then, and also right about it not having to do with stress.

"She has a place wherever she wants one," Eric said.

Nora laughed humorlessly. "You actually love her don't you? Since when has the big bad Viking king ever loved anyone but himself. You're pathetic. She's going to get you killed, you know that don't you?" I winced, deep down I knew that I was more hindrance to Bill and Eric than help but I didn't need to be reminded of that.

"I would die if it meant keeping her from the Authority."

"Like I said pathetic."

"She's awake," Bill said stepping into the conversation. "In case you'd rather her not hear how much you hate her. She is quite good with a stake; I'd hate to see her use one on you, Nora."

"And you treat her like she's an equal," Nora said turning her attention to Bill.

"She may not be a vampire but she is my blood," Bill said calmly.

"And Eric is my brother; I will not see him destroyed by that girl. But for whatever the reason Eric wants to keep her around and I will not go against his wishes," she said. "Now if you'll excuse me I have a call to make."

"She really hates me," I said getting up. Eric started to say something but I cut him off. "Don't say she'll come around, Pam doesn't like me now but she will _come around_. Nora hates me, unadulterated loathing." Just then Eric's phone rang; he pulled it out of his pocket giving me a look that said we'd finish this conversation later. I turned to Bill who looked quite amused. "What?" I snapped.

"Nothing," he said holding up his hands in surrender.

"What's the deal between the two of them?" I asked. "Were they a thing before?"

"I know just as much about Nora as you do, and that isn't very much."

"She has this really over protectiveness that you'd expect from a sibling, but I think she's almost jealous too. I guess I don't understand vampire families. Would you even call that a family since they aren't really related?" Bill shrugged. I looked over at Eric who was still on the phone. "What's wrong?" I asked.

He closed the phone and turned to face us, "It's Russell Edgington, he's back."

"What the fuck do you mean he's back?" I asked wide eyed.

"I mean we never killed him and he's back."

"Eric, Rachel told me he was dead." I turned on Bill. "You said he was dead!"

"Alcide helped us detain him, but it didn't work as long as we had hoped," Eric said.

"You don't _detain _a 3000 year old, bat shit crazy vampire. You stake them!"

"We'll be ok," Bill said. "Where we're going not even Russell will be able to find us."

**RPOV**

Alcide and I had barely been at his house for ten minutes when there was a knock on the door. I walked over the door and looked through the window; a familiar looking woman was bouncing on her heels nervously. I opened the door. "Aren't you Sam's girlfriend? Luna, right?" I asked finally placing her.

"Yes. Is Alcide here?" She asked looking around.

"Yeah he's upstairs let me go get him." I ran up the stairs quickly and found Alcide in his room. "Luna is here, she looks pretty upset." He ran past me without any explanation and I followed him downstairs.

"Luna, what's wrong?" He asked.

"It's Sam, he's taking the blame for killing Marcus. The pack has him; they're probably going to kill him. I didn't know what else to do." She was on the verge of tears and I didn't know what to do but stand there awkwardly. "You've got to come forward, Alcide."

"Wait you killed someone?" I asked confused.

"He was the pack master." He didn't give me any information other than that. "Sam is a good guy he doesn't deserve to take the fall for this. Where are they?"

"They wanted to know where Marcus was buried, that's probably where they went."

"Alright come on." I followed them out to Alcide's car and he looked at me. "It's probably safer if you stayed home."

"Russell Edgington is on the loose, nowhere is safe for me and I'd rather stay with you," I told him. He nodded and got in the driver's seat. Luna followed behind us. We rode in silence for a while until he parked near the woods and we got out and walked till we found a clearing where what seemed like the whole pack of weres had gathered. In the middle of them, dirty and bloody, was Sam. Alcide stepped in front of me and Luna.

"I killed the pack master and he sure as hell deserved it," Alcide said.

"Take that back," one woman who was kneeling beside the body said.

"Who the hell are you?" Alcide asked. I realized that I didn't recognize a single one of these weres but they reminded me of all the trashy, V addicted weres that had been at Lou Pines in Mississippi. Were all werewolves the same? I was interrupted from my thoughts by the woman shifting followed by several others. The woman, now wolf, nearest to the body took a large bite out of Marcus's abdomen.

**LPOV**

Nora, who had refused to talk to any of us for the last hour, led us to the docks. A small jet boat was waiting on the pier and a few people climbed out. Nora greeted one of the women and introduced us to her. She handed us each a passport and I opened mine to see that the picture they used was old, from my senior yearbook, it wasn't a terrible picture but I looked like I was 18. "Lucinda Clarke," I read.

"And this is your uncle Marcellus Clarke," Cat said pointing to Bill.

"Ike Applebaum?" Eric read unhappily, I couldn't help but snicker a little bit. Eric definitely did not strike me as an Ike.

"New papers are very hard to come by, Mr. Applebaum. Now, say your goodbyes, we need to leave as quickly as possible."

Eric stepped forward to say something to his sister when all of a sudden every vampire around us began dropping in a shower of blood. "In the name of the one true vampire Authority," a loud voice said. We were surrounded by vampires with guns in a matter of seconds. Eric dropped Nora's hand and was shielding me in between him and Bill. _This is it _I thought _After everything I've been through I'm going to die as Lucinda Clarke, I won't even get to die as myself. _


	17. 17 The Voice of Reason

**LPOV**

We were unloaded roughly from the back of an armored vehicle and pushed through the doors of the concrete building. It didn't look like much and was not at all what I was expecting to be the head quarters of the Authority. A vampire met us when we went inside and walked towards Nora. "Salome," Nora said. "They're more valuable to us alive than dead. I never had any attention of betraying-" Salome silenced her and stepped towards us.

"Mr. Compton, Mr. Northman, I've heard much about you both. But you my dear are quite elusive; no one can ever get their hands on you. You have the life don't you? All the perks of being a vampire, without actually losing your life. Now which one are you? You have a twin, yes?"

"My name is Lily," I said.

"Well, welcome Lily." She motioned us to follow her. We walked flanked by guards down the stairs and into an elevator with a lock that seemed to analyze her blood. The elevator opened to reveal a reception office which was much more how I pictured the Authority's office to look. It was business professional and many people passed through on their way to other parts of the facility. I was intrigued and under any other circumstances this might even be exciting. We were led through complicated hallways till we finally reached a room full of cells. The four of us were each tossed into matching, silver barred cells. I collapsed to the ground and lay there for a second still in shock.

**RPOV**

"Ew, what the fuck is she doing?"

"It's a were ritual, the way they send off their dead," Luna told me. "But I agree it's not pleasant." She went over to Sam who had fallen down and inspected his wounds.

"I think you've done enough here," one man said stepping towards Alcide. "Why don't you take your loner ways and your little human girlfriend back to Mississippi?"

"Gladly," Alcide said grabbing my hand and starting to step into the trees again.

"If I ever see your face around here again I'll rip your throat out myself," the man said. Alcide tensed but I tightened my grip on his hand and pulled him a little into the woods. But before we could get father than a step Martha was walking towards us.

"You killed the pack master, as the new pack master you have an obligation to eat," she said. Alcide turned and stepped towards her slipping his hand from mine.

"I have no interest in being the new pack master, find someone else." He turned and walked back to me.

"There are laws!" Martha called after us.

"Screw the laws," Alcide said without looking back. I followed him through the trees and back out to the street. We found his car parked next to Luna's. I got in and turned to face him.

"Is that true? You're the new pack master?" I asked.

"That's what the laws say."

"Don't you have to then? Isn't there some Authority that can force you?"

"This isn't vampire politics, weres are different. I won't be pack master."

"Why do you hate it so much, being a werewolf I mean?"

"You saw them back there, savages, animals. If I could get rid of this part of me I would but this was how I was born. Werewolves don't get a choice in what they are, not like vampires."

"Fairies don't either. Sure I like what I can do sometimes, but my life would sure as hell be a whole lot easier if I was normal."

"So you understand."

"But Alcide, don't hate yourself." I touched his cheek lightly. "You're an amazing person, you're kind and you aren't at all like them. You make the most of what you are. It kills me to see how much you can't stand yourself when I love everything about you, even the parts that you don't."

"You like to make everyone think you're the frigid bitch, but you aren't. You're hurting just as much as the rest of us but you just want to make everyone else hurt a little less. I don't know how you do it."

"I guess we go together then."

**LPOV**

I sat against the wall in my cell bored out of my mind. If they wanted to torture information out of me this was the way to do. I'd surely break any moment now, I'd been sitting in the same spot for hours without a single thing happening. Even Bill, Eric and Nora had stopped talking. Then a voice spoke over the loud speakers, I hopped up quickly.

"Welcome Mr. Compton, Miss Compton, Mr. Northman. I do wish you were all here under better circumstances. Mr. Compton, tell me why is it you and your party made contact with Chancellor Gainesborough?"

"I took her prisoner when I crashed the car; I thought she might be useful. Nora has done nothing wrong," Bill said.

"There were people meeting you at the docks, where were they taking you?" The voice asked.

"No idea," Eric said.

"Please, let Nora and Eric go. They had no choice in what they were doing. Lily is human, what help could she possibly be to you?"

"And the lies continue," the voice said disapprovingly. Suddenly lights came on in all the cells and the vampires around me were screaming, covering themselves with their jackets as best they could.

"Eric! What's happening?" I screamed through the bars I knelt down beside the bars and tried to reach my hand towards him.

"UVs!" He groaned. I looked up at the light above my cell. The Authority sure did know how to torture vampires, and sitting here watching Eric and Bill suffer while I was unable to help was my torture. The lights went out for a second giving everyone time to heal and just enough time for them to think they were off the hook for the time being before they flipped back on again and the screaming continued.

OoOoO

It felt like hours later that the lights finally went out and a few moments after guards appeared to drag each of us to interrogation rooms. I was sat in a chair in the middle of a concrete room. There was nothing in the room that could hurt me but I guess it would be unneeded; the vampires were faster and stronger than me. A man around his mid forties entered and held out his hand, I stared at him a second before realizing he was waiting to shake my hand. "I am Kibwe Akinjide," he said introducing himself. "I am sorry about the pain we had to put your friends through but my colleges needed to show them what we are capable of."

"Why are Eric and Bill so important to you?" I asked.

"Mainstreaming is the principal that the Authority was founded on. We want to coexist with the humans. Mr. Compton and Mr. Northman are seen as threats to our cause."

"But that doesn't make any sense. Bill and Eric are some of the most mainstreamed vampires I know. Bill's been trying to blend in with the town he left decades ago, he has human friends and he contributes to the town. Eric owns a touristy bar, people fear him a little but it's all part of the gimmick. Humans love a little fear. Not to mention they've both been in relationships with humans."

"But you aren't human."

"I'm half human and that's enough for me."

"Tell me, how did you come to know what you were?" Kibwe asked.

"Bill figured it out. Then later Claudine showed up, a full faerie, and confirmed it."

"What can you do with your powers?"

"This really doesn't seem to pertain to the topic at hand," I said avoiding the question.

"You're right of course but you see the Guardian finds you interesting."

"Really now?"

"He believes you have the potential to be the ultimate vampire, assuming that you keep the traits you already possess. You are stronger than you let on and we believe that as a vampire you will be stronger and more talented than any other vampire ever known, even some of the ancients."

"So basically you want to use me as a guinea pig to see if it's possible to create a whole other race of vampire-faerie hybrids."

"The Guardian wants someone to become his heir so to speak, he thinks you might be it."

I paused for a second letting all of this sink in. "I still don't quite understand what this has to do with the investigation into Bill and Eric."

Kibwe sighed. "Have you heard of the Sanquinistas?" He asked.

"Nope," I answered.

"So, Bill and Eric are not part of this group?"

"I pretty much know everything about them; I would've heard them mention it before. What is a Sanquinista?"

"The Sanquinist are a group of fundamentalist vampires who follow the literal translation of the vampire Bible, they believe humans are nothing but food. We believe that Chancellor Gainesborough is part of this movement."

"That's definitely not Eric or Bill but Nora…I don't know."

"Has Nora mentioned the movement?" Kibwe asked.

"Not in so many words. I've only know her for a day or so but I overheard an argument between her and Eric and she was upset that I was a human. She said that humans had no place in a vampire's life. That sounds a whole lot more like what you just described than what Eric and Bill do. If you're accusing them of being Sanquinist I'd think again, Nora should be the one you're looking into."

"We will take this into consideration when making our final judgment." He stood to leave.

"Please, don't kill them. I'll stay here if I have to. You can do whatever you want, use my powers as a human or turn me. Just let them live. They've made mistakes but so has everyone; they're just trying to help."

"Here I've been thinking that you were their pet human, they want to protect you no matter what, but really it's the other way around. You protect them and they don't even notice how hard you're trying. Maybe you're right about those two being pro-mainstreaming." He got up and left the room motioning for one of the guards to lead me back to my cell. When I arrived Eric and Bill were already there.

"You two look like shit," I said.

"They pumped out veins with silver," Bill said.

"These guys aren't messing around," I mumbled.

"Did they hurt you?" Eric asked.

"No, they just asked me a few questions. They really wanted to know about my powers but I wouldn't tell them anything. He finally just gave up and asked me if you guys were part of the Sanquinista movement. Obviously I told them you aren't, that's ridiculous. As if it's not evidence enough you're lugging a human girl around with you. They want me to become a vampire though."

"You mean they want to use your abilities for their own gain," Eric said.

"They think I can be a super vampire, if I keep all my powers."

"And if you don't you'll no doubt meet the true death," Bill said.

"But if I could make a trade-" I began.

"If you were to be made by anyone other than someone you trust completely you would be forced to do whatever they asked, your powers would be exploited and you would never be free. Please tell me you aren't actually considering this. We aren't worth it, Lily," Bill said.

"The Guardian will see you now," one of the guards said coming in. The cells were opened and bags were placed over our heads, we were led to a room where the pushed us to our knees.

"Let the girl sit," a man said. I was pulled back up from the ground and placed in a comfortable chair. My guard removed the bag from my head and I looked at my surroundings. There was a table full of vampires and a small sitting area where I had been placed; Eric and Bill were knelt between me and the other vampires. Nora was there too, away from the rest of us. One of the men, the one I assumed was in charge began speaking in a strange language and gave each vampire at the table a drop of blood. He began talking about Nora and I tuned him out, I was too interested in the décor, there was an odd symbol on the doors not to mention the weird blood ritual. Bill had taught me the basic of vampire government but this was an all new territory. I was interrupted from my survey of the room by Nora being dragged away scream across the room. The vampire, who introduced himself as Roman was listing off the things Bill and Eric had been charged with; rocket launchers on main street, the festival of tolerance, Nan's death.

"Excuse me," I said. "I saw the witches myself. My sister was even possessed by one of them; the threat was very real and very dangerous. They were the ones behind the festival of tolerance turning out the way it did. What Eric and Bill did, attacking the witches store, while reckless was what they thought was best. The festival did turn out badly but in the overall causality count very few people were actually killed and even less actually know about it now."

Everyone was staring at me; I guess you aren't supposed to interrupt the Guardian. Roman smiled though. "You little faerie are quite a surprise aren't you? I like you, you have spunk. You know much more about these two than we do, I think you'll be very useful. You're well spoken too, that spiel of yours made plenty of sense. Tell me though, if we were to say that the festival was all the witches fault and that the attack on Main Street was the only choice to contain the threat, how do we explain the last charge? Nan's death?"

"Self defense, doesn't that deserve a lighter sentence? And Nan told us herself she was next on your list of vampires to receive the true death, they simply helped you with that."

"But still she was Authority. Chancellors what do you think? Miss Compton may have a future career in law yet."

The redheaded woman spoke first, some country bumpkin nonsense until she got to the important part. "The true death for these fellas."

"They destroyed a very real threat to all vampires, as Lily pointed out," Kibwe said. "And as we know there was extensive efforts to conceal what happened. No one knows and the event possibly saved our lives."

"The killed an Authority member!" The child yelled.

"As Lily said she was on her way out, really they did us a favor; we didn't have to get our hands dirty."

"You can tell we've been debating this topic among ourselves," Roman said. "Mainstreaming is the most important thing for vampires. It is vital to maintaining the survival of our species. The fundamentalists are heading down a dead end road, we tried that for centuries and it isn't working. Mainstreaming is the answer." He paused and glanced at me. "You aren't going to interrupt?"

"I was waiting till you finished," I said with a shrug.

"By all means have the floor."

"Eric and Bill make mistakes, we all do. Yes, they make a few more mistakes than the average person but overall they're doing what they think is right. If they were human they'd have a following of people supporting their cause, but because they're not their actions tend to not always have the effect they were hoping for. They have their head in the right place. They aren't fundamentalists or Sanquinistas. As I told Kibwe, Bill is constantly giving back to the small town he's from and now lives in again. He spoke to the veteran's descendant's society just last month about the civil war and they love him and he loves them and Bon Temps. Eric owns a gimmicky bar that sells over priced food and drinks and thrills people just as much as a haunted house does, tell me that isn't extremely American. They are mainstreamers just like you. I really don't see what reason you could possibly have for killing them is. Put a closer watch on them; make it easier for them to get help when situations like the witch one occur. Doesn't the Authority have a 911? There are many other options besides the true death and at least with these two you know what you're dealing with, with any other vampire put in their position you never know."

Roman nodded considering. "Do any of you have anything else to say before I pass sentence?"

"I propose an exchange," Bill said. "Our lives for Russell Edgington."

"Russell Edgington is dead," Roman said.

"Sheriff Northman and I put him in the ground but he was still alive."

"He has now broken free," Eric said. I wanted to hit my head on the coffee table or stake Bill myself, all that diplomacy on my part ruined by him adding another charge against him. And this time I wouldn't be able to fix it because I hated what they had done about Russell too, maybe even more than the Authority did. If Bill had just let the Guardian pass sentence, there was no way he couldn't have seen the light in my arguments.

"Ignore me if you wish but of all the vampires that could ruin your mainstreaming agenda Russell Edgington is the most psychotic and powerful of them," Bill said.

"Why would you keep him alive?" Roman asked.

"The true death was too good for him, he deserved to suffer."

"For two vampires that are so involved in mainstreaming you do not consider the repercussions of your actions. Russell may have deserved his punishment but the world does not deserve Russell. There is nothing more than I wish is to stake you right now, but I unlike you can control my feelings."

"Russell will want revenge; he will hunt us down and when he does you will be there to end him. I believe that mainstreaming is the goal but it will not be possible with Russell alive. I fully expect to meet the true death either way but Russell Edgington must be stopped."


	18. 18 Missing Information

**LPOV**

There was chaos at the table. "Why the fuck did you do that, Bill?" I hissed.

"To protect you. You were becoming too interesting; they wouldn't stop chasing you if you became any more valuable. The next step you were going to take was trading yourself for us, don't lie and say you weren't."

"If you're both dead I won't have anyone to stop them from taking me, will I?"

"Would both of you shut up?" Eric mumbled. I glared at him.

"Perhaps we should consider their proposal," Kibwe said. "Lily presented a valid argument."

"That was before we knew Russell Edgington was alive!" The kid yelled. He seriously had some anger management issues he needed to work out.

"They have their own way of getting things done and it has worked on Russell before. Best case scenario, Russell receives the true death. Worst case, Mr. Compton and Mr. Northman receive the true death and it's up to us to take care of Russell," Salome said.

"It works in our favor either way," Kibwe said. The Texan vampire started in on an argument with Kibwe and soon the table was a mess of unintelligible yelling again.

"Chancellors! Thank you, that will be all," Roman said. He dismissed all the vampires except for Salome. "Russell is the biggest threat to mainstreaming we've ever been presented with. He has become a hero for the Sanquinistas; it's sick what vampires in this day and age will admire. They must be stopped. Russell must be stopped."

"We'll bring him in," Bill said.

"Or die trying," I finished quietly. Roman snapped his fingers and three guards appeared to lead us away.

We were taken into a room full of fancy looking gadgets. Our bindings were cut and I was placed in a chair while Bill and Eric were stood in the middle of the room. We were like little marionettes being pushed and pulled everywhere.

A vampire who didn't look all that much older than me, in human appearance of course, entered and began going through things. "I've heard a lot about you three. I'm Molly by the way, the Authority's resident gadget girl. Here," she handed Eric and Bill two cross looking pendants on straps. "Take your shirts off and put these on." I couldn't help but admire Eric and caught Molly doing the same. I raised my eyebrow at her and she shrugged. "Hey, not my fault you pick 'em good."

"What does that do anyways?" I asked.

"Wooden bullet right above their heart. I click this button," she said holding up her iPhone to show me a simply designed app with what else but a big red button. "And splat. Basically it's out insurance; it tracks them and gives us an easy way to dispose of them, if we need to. I really hope we won't need to, that would be a shame." She took another lengthy look at my boyfriend's abs and I rolled my eyes. "Speaking of which, arm." She took my arm and injected me with a syringe.

"Ow. What was that for?"

"That's your tracker. It's the only thing we could come up with that your faerie blood wouldn't reject. Did you know you're practically invincible to all strains of most major fatal diseases? I can't wait to work with you more in the future, you're so cool!"

**RPOV**

I spent the day asleep for the most part, I was still recovering from the Ileana fiasco and on top of that Russell was back, but it was hard to get any good rest. I had already taken triple the recommended amount of sleeping pills but despite their claim of dreamless sleep I was plagued with nightmares reliving being abducted by Russell in Jackson and new nightmares of him finding me and hunting me down now. I should be safe in Alcide's house, my house now too, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I wasn't. Russell had gotten to me before while I was at Alcide's apartment in Jackson. Finally I couldn't take it anymore and got in my car and drove to where Alcide was working. Thankfully it was only ten minutes away because I was dozing off at every stop light. I would've crashed into the building if I hadn't been so surprised to see Debbie's parents that I slammed on my breaks. They were leaving just as I got out of the car and I walked over the Alcide felling a little woozy, maybe those sleeping pills were finally kicking in. "Wasn't that Debbie's parents?"

"Yeah, I didn't know you knew them."

"I don't, just recognized them from a picture. What were they doing here? I thought you abjured Debbie or whatever?"

"She's missing."

"Missing? Like missing as in she ran off with some sleazy V dealer or missing as in _missing_?"

"She was supposed to be going back to her parents in Jackson but she never made it. I would've thought she'd just made a stop to get some more V but…They found her car, her wallet and phone was still inside."

"You don't think she's…" I trailed off. I didn't want to say the word for fear that I'd sound a little too happy about the fact. It was no secret that Debbie and I despised each other. Ever since I'd kissed Alcide at her engagement party, though really she had no right to get upset she was getting married, jealous bitch. Ok, breathe Rachel. Now is not the time to get worked up over anything else, there's enough on your plate already. "Are you going to look for her?"

"The police are doing that, and like you said I abjured her. I don't want anything to do with Debbie anymore, I'm done with her."

"Ok," I said not really sure what else to say.

"Come on let's get you home. I'll have someone bring your car by the house, you look like you're about to pass out."

"Nightmares," I mumbled suddenly feeling extremely exhausted.

"Russell isn't going to hurt you, I swear. You're safe."

"I know." I checked my phone and frowned.

"What?"

"It's just I haven't heard anything from Lily in a few days, or Bill." _Or Eric. _I added silently. Did I really expect Eric to check in? We hadn't exactly parted on bad terms but we hadn't parted on good times either. Come to think of it we hadn't really even parted at all. I was happy for Lily if she was happy with Eric, I knew she'd be happy for me and Alcide, but Eric and I were going to have to have a chat sooner or later. A lot of things had happened between us in the past year that could really use some flushing out but I wasn't going to be able to do that if he didn't text me back.

**LPOV**

We were taken to new quarters spread out around the facility, I didn't know how to get to Bill or Eric's room without asking a guard to take me there and I guess that was the idea. I convinced my guard to let me visit Eric for a few minutes though the guard wouldn't leave the doorway as I talked to Eric. "I feel like throwing myself out of a window. Except there aren't any windows here so that's out of the question," I said flopping onto Eric's bed. "Why is Bill so stupid? I had them, they were eating out of the palm of my hand and then bam, Bill had to go open his big mouth."

"They're vampires, they've had centuries of practice at lying, you never really know what choices their going to make. Bill thought it was a good idea, and we are alive aren't we?"

"Temporarily," I grumbled.

"We'll find a way out of this, we always do," Eric said sitting on the bed next to me.

"This is different, this is the Authority." I searched his eyes hoping to find some of the cocky Eric that knew exactly what he was doing but instead I just found uncertainty, even though cocky Eric got on my nerves this was worse because if Eric was afraid this was really bad. I kissed him and pushed him back on the bed rolling over so he was on his back and I was straddling him. The guard at the door cleared his throat and I looked over my shoulder at him. "This very well could be one of the last moments I ever get to spend with my boyfriend. I'm not stopping just because it makes you feel uncomfortable." He hesitated but didn't leave. "Oh for god's sake, does it look like we're planning to over throw the Authority or some shit?" He stood there for another second before turning around and leaving. "Now, where were we?"

OoOoO

When I got back to my room Salome was sitting on my bed reading a magazine. "Oh there you are darling; I've been waiting for quite some time."

"What do you want?" I asked cautiously.

"Just to chat." She patted the bed next to her and I sat down. "I like the three of you, really I do, and I want to help you out. Bill and I-Well let's just say I've convinced him to work with me. Now with you around I hardly expect Eric to fall for the same tricks and I'd rather not make an enemy out of your on your first day here. So I need your help."

"You kept us alive; I guess I owe you something. What do you need?"

"We'll get to that, patience. Have you heard of the Vampire Bible?"

"Kibwe mentioned it, though I don't know anything else about it."

"So Bill hasn't taught you everything he knows then? Nan had us under the impression you were being groomed to take over Louisiana should something happen to Bill."

"But I'm not a vampire," I said confused. No one had ever mentioned to me that I was some protégé.

"That can be easily remedied. The Vampire Bible speaks of how before Adam and Eve there was Lilith. Have you heard of her?"

"Isn't she a demon and Adam's first wife?"

"Human lore," she said dismissively. "Lilith was a vampire, created in God's image."

"Therefore God is a vampire." I snorted. "Someone ought to tell the Fellowship of the Sun. What else does it say?"

"It says that the purpose of humans is to feed vampires, in so many words. It's where the Sanquinistas come from, they interpret the Bible literally. But as you know most vampires no longer feel that way."

"What does it say about the rest of us?" I asked.

"Hm?"

"Werewolves, shifters, witches…faeries?"

"It's been so long since I read it. I do recall a passage 'I will make vampyre in my image, according to my likeness, and let vampyre rule over all creatures: beasts of the earth and faeries of the heavens.' But it has been a long time. Would you like to read it?"

"Really?"

"I'll loan you mine. Now, let's talk about Nora."

"I'd rather not," I said.

"You don't like her do you?" Salome asked.

"She doesn't like me; I tend to not take well to people who'd rather have me dead."

"Why doesn't she like you?"

"How should I know? Maybe she's jealous, she are Eric are-" I stopped short realizing what I was about to tell her.

"They're siblings. Don't worry, I already knew."

"How? Eric said no one knew."

"I knew Godric, wonderful man before he lost his way. Did you meet him?" She asked.

"No, I just heard stories. I hadn't moved to Bon Temps yet."

"That's a shame, he would've liked you. You said you thought Nora might have been jealous, but is that really what you believe?"

"She hates humans, I can feel it. But she's Eric's sister…"

"And you don't want to hurt him by making us believe she is Sanquinist."

"I don't know for sure, it's just an assumption."

"Well you were right. Lucky for you, you didn't get on that boat. You'd probably be dead now; Sanquinistas wouldn't work too hard to protect you, especially when you smell like you do."

"Was there something you needed my help with?" I asked.

"I want you to trust me, Lily. We can work together." Salome got up and walked out of my room leaving me even more confused than I had already been.

**RPOV**

I checked my phone for the tenth time since we'd been driving to Bon Temps. "I'm sure Lily is fine," Alcide assured me again.

"I hope so."

"We can stop by Bill's place and see if she's there on the way back if you want."

"That would make me feel a lot better…Or worse." I banged my head on the head rest behind me. "Everyone in my family just disappears all the fucking time. It's like we aren't allowed to have normal lives for five minutes without someone getting abducted or almost dying or hell getting possessed by a ghost."

"Breathe Rachel. We'll find Lily, ok?"

I took a deep breath. "Ok." We pulled up outside Merlotte's and Alcide and I walked in. "Sook!" I called when I saw her blonde head duck around a corner. I walked towards the back hallway and grabbed her arm. "You need to talk to us. You can't avoid us forever."

"What do you want now?" She asked.

"Debbie is missing," Alcide told her.

"I heard. Sherriff Bellefleur came asking questions around here today."

"They found her car by your house," Alcide said.

"I heard that too."

"Sookie would you stop being so fucking stupid?" I begged. "You get on my nerves most of the time but that doesn't mean I want you dead!"

"I appreciate your concern, Rachel, but I can take care of myself."

"What else is going on Sookie, what else happened?" I asked.

"Its fine, Rachel. I promi-"

"Oh shit, Tara!" Lafayette yelled from the kitchen.

"Tara is here?" I hissed. Sookie took off and Alcide and I followed behind her. Lafayette was on the ground in front of the open freezer. Arlene and Sam ran in behind us. "You put Tara in the freezer?"

"Hey Rach," Tara said stepping through the open door.

"Tara, oh my god, are you ok?" I asked.

"Really Rachel? I'm a fucking vampire and you're going to ask if I'm ok? I know you are your sister are fangbangers but, god."

"Don't talk to her like that," Alcide said stepping in front of me. Tara popped her fangs out and hissed at him. She brushed past us and walked out the door; Sam caught her arm and stopped her.

"These are your friends they just want to help-"

"Stay the hell away from me, for your own sake," she said and then she was gone in a blink.

"Everything's fine then?" I asked looking pointedly at Sookie.

**LPOV**

"So Salome, huh?" I asked Bill causally in the elevator. He looked at me funny. "Oh she stopped by, we had a nice talk about the Vampire Bible, Sanquinistas, oh and you." He looked down.

"She did pay me a visit as well," Bill said.

"Though I'm positive the two of you got a little friendlier than she and I did."

"You try very hard to make all situations uncomfortable for me, don't you?"

I shrugged. "Kids are supposed to embarrass their parents. What does she want anyways?"

"I have no idea," Bill said shaking his head as the elevator doors opened.

**RPOV**

Alcide and I walked out to his truck and Sookie followed us. "Either tell us what's going or leave," I said.

"I didn't want to drag you into the middle of this," Sookie said.

"It's too late, we're in the middle," I said.

"I started to tell you the other day but Lafayette stopped me. When I got home Debbie was there, she was crazy I guess she was on V. She had a gun and she was going to shoot me but Tara stepped in front of me just in time and…"

"Debbie shot Tara," Alcide said.

"I got the gun I was afraid, I should've called the police but I didn't. I…" Sookie trailed off.

"Sookie you didn't?" I asked shocked. "The bleach smell in the kitchen…Oh my god Sook."

"I killed her."

"And you weren't going to tell me?" Alcide asked. "You were just going to lie and pretend you had no idea what happened to her?"

"Yes, no, I don't know Alcide, but you loved her! I couldn't just tell you, I didn't know-I _don't_ know what you're going to do now." Alcide punched his truck and then leaned over the side trying to breathe. I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my head against his shoulder trying to comfort him. "Alcide I'm sorry I-"

"I don't want to hear it," Alcide said.

"Alcide, what are you going to do? I need to know if you're going to tell anyone." He turned and walked around the driver's side of the car.

I pushed out of my way Sookie but stopped before I opened the passenger door. _I don't forgive you for not telling us, but I'll try to help you if I can._

_Thank you._

I got in the car and closed the door. Alcide didn't say for a while. "Do you still want to stop at Bill's?" He asked.

"It can wait. Like you said, I'm sure Lily is fine." I wasn't entirely convinced of that but dragging Alcide anywhere in the state he was in just seemed cruel. "I'm sorry about Debbie, I know you loved her."

"Debbie made a lot of mistakes, I don't know if she could've ever recovered from them but…"

"She didn't deserve to die." Did I believe that? Probably not, but I was going to be supportive. He was hurting and I could try my best to fix it.


	19. 19 Collaboration

**LPOV**

We were unloaded from a black SUV in the middle of the road. Eric offered me a hand as I climbed out but I swatted him away. The SUV door was closed by one of the Authority guards and they drove away leaving Eric, Bill and I alone. "Well." I smoothed my skirt, flinching when the skin pulled around the scab on my arm where my tracker had been put in. "That worked nicely, despite the stakes attached to your hearts," I said bitterly. "I still think my plan was better."

"How did you not end up in a jumpsuit?" Eric asked pulling at the stretchy material.

I shrugged, "Salome."

"There will be time to worry about your outfits later, we need to find Russell now," Bill said.

"Where do we even start?" I asked.

"Only four of us knew where he was," Eric said. I grabbed the keys off the ground and hit the unlock button, head lights flashed in the bushes.

Bill snatched the keys from me. "I'll drive." I groaned and followed him to the car.

OoOoO

When we got to Fangtasia, Eric walked in ahead of me and Bill. "May I have everyone's attention, Fangtasia will be closing early tonight. We have some…business to attend to." Fangbangers grumbled as they left the bar. Bill and I walked in once the place was clear. Ginger was the only person left and she was quickly cleaning up the bar, she waved when she saw me and I smiled politely. I had never had an actual conversation with Ginger but, according to Rachel, she was pretty out of it after so much glamouring. I wondered if my powers worked the same way; Bill had known that I had used some sort of magic on him a few hours after I'd done it and it always wore off Rachel , but she had never be able to be glamoured by vamps only me. Fae magic was much too confusing and I had no plans to ever track down any other fairies to discus my powers with, not after Claudine.

Eric sat in his throne and I rolled my eyes. "You're so weird."

"You can join me," he offered motioning to the smaller chairs on either side of him.

I laughed. "No thanks, I'll pass." I sat down with Bill at one of the tables and we waited in complete silence for Pam to return.

After fifteen minutes of sitting I was considering getting up to hunt for Pam's stash of Cosmopolitan and InStyle magazines, when she burst in yelling about Fangtasia being open till four. "I sent them home," Eric said. Pam stopped and her jaw dropped a bit when she saw him. Tara stood behind Pam and I stood up quickly.

"Tara?" I asked.

"Hey Lily," Tara said. She smiled and her fangs popped out.

"Holy shit!" I turned to look at Pam and she shifted uncomfortably. We both looked at Eric.

"What is she doing here?" Eric asked calmly.

"I made her, while you were gone," Pam said. I grabbed Tara's arm which was covered in red splotches, which I really hoped belonged to her and not some innocent person she'd eaten for dinner, and wheeled her out of the room. Bill followed us down to Eric's office.

"God you're gross, how long have you been wearing those clothes?" I asked.

"A while," she said. I dug through some of the inventory boxes until I found an oversized Fangtasia t-shit, and handed it to her. I grabbed TrueBloods from the shelf above the shirts and handed one to Tara and one to Bill before going to the mini fridge where Rachel stashed Dr. Peppers and grabbing a soda for me.

"So what happened to you?" I asked.

"I saved Sookie, what else could have possibly happened. I used to think things Rachel said about Sookie were harsh but she's right isn't she? Sookie is the cause of all our problems. If we just sent her off somewhere maybe we'd be done with all this shit."

"People have had to save me too," I said looking down.

"Yeah well not as much as her, someone's always been saving her. You Compton twins are tough; you don't let others get hurt for you."

I thought about when I'd gotten in the middle of the witch war and how I'd gotten shot, no one was there to stop the bullet. When we were trying to get into the Emporium I'd been thrown against the brick building breaking several bones, no one had been there to catch me before I'd hit the ground. Tara was right, Sookie must have a fucking guardian angel making sure someone was there to save her every time. "So how are you taking it, being a vampire?"

"I tried to roast myself in a tanning bed," she said.

"Oh." I remembered the UV lights they'd turned on in the prison cells. I couldn't imagine anyone wanting to put themselves through that pain willingly.

"Don't worry I can't do it again. Pam went all "as your maker I command you" on me." She sat down in Eric's desk chair.

"I'm sure it's hard to get used to but you'll make it through it. You're tough too, you took a bullet and survived so…"

She snorted. "Maybe."

Eric opened the door and walked in; Tara jumped up and left without saying anything else. I took another sip of my Dr. Pepper. "Not Pam," Eric said after a long silence.

"Is there anyone else you might have told?" Bill asked him, he glanced at me.

"Rachel and I thought he was dead," we said.

"Alcide could have told Rachel," Bill said.

"Rachel wouldn't do that. Are we really suspects now, Bill? Your own family?"

"You're right, I know. We have no leads, nowhere to look," Bill apologized.

"I know there's a deadline; I know everyone is stressed out. But we need to think about this rationally. Did Russell have any other kids besides the guy you killed?" I asked Eric.

"Talbot was the only one as far as I know," Eric said.

"We need to go to ground," Bill said. "Lily, you can stay at my house today." I nodded and turned to follow Bill out; I looked over my shoulder where Eric was deep in thought, he didn't even glance up as we left. Bill and I got into the car and I sighed.

"I don't even know why I still work at Merlotte's, or how I've managed to keep my job all this time. I might as well quit. There's no way I'm going to make it in today, I'm exhausted."

"I'm sorry about accusing you and Rachel, I know it wasn't you," Bill said.

"I get it; we all just want this to be over with. It would be a hell of a lot easier if I had dug him up."

**RPOV**

The next morning Alcide was already up and dressed when I went downstairs to make my coffee. "Going somewhere?" I asked.

"I want to go talk to the Pelts, about Debbie," he said.

"You aren't going to tell them about Sook are you?"

"No. No, I have another story. But I can't let them keep looking for their daughter when I know they'll never find her."

"Give me a few minutes and I'll come with you," I said. I ran up stairs and pulled on a skirt and top, twisted my hair into a bun and then went back downstairs. "Ok let's go."

OoOoO

I held Alcide's hand as we drove to the motel where the Pelts were staying. He checked the piece of paper Gordon had given him to make sure we were in the right place before parking. "Want me to come in with you?" I asked.

"I think I should do this by myself," he said. He looked so tired and sad, I kissed him on the cheek and he tried to smile but it wasn't very believable. "Don't worry about me, I'm ok." He got out of the truck and I watched him walk up and knock on the door. Gordon opened it and Alcide walked in. I couldn't hear a thing and as soon as the door closed I hopped out of the truck and walked over to the room's window. It wasn't too hard to listen in to Barbra Pelt's head so I could hear the conversation and I leaned against the wall so they wouldn't see me.

I had been in people's heads before but something was different this time. Instead of just listening in I could feel her emotions, _really_ feel them. As soon as Alcide revealed Debbie had been killed I felt like I was going to start crying, and that obviously wasn't normal. I could feel the other emotions in the room as well. Gordon was more angry than sad when Alcide told him that Marcus killed Debbie.

Sookie would be relieved, I thought bitterly. Even though Sookie was my friend I couldn't help but feel like everything she did hurt other people much more than herself and I hated her for making Alcide go through this. Why is it that Sookie always has someone there to save the day and fix her mistakes?

I didn't want to go near Alcide's emotions but when he started crying I couldn't help it. I slid down against the wall and started crying myself. Maybe it was because of the emotions in the room or maybe it was hearing him say out loud how much he had loved Debbie but whatever the reason I was really wishing I had stayed in the car. I pulled myself off the ground and got in the car trying to dry my eyes before Alcide came out. "What's wrong?" He asked getting in.

"I think," I took a breath. "I think I found another fucking fae power."

**LPOV**

I slept almost the entire day till my phone started ringing obnoxiously around three. "Hello?" I answered groggily.

"Uh Lily? Did I wake you up?" Rachel's chipper voice asked.

"Ugh yes."

"I guess you're getting used to that whole vamp time. Where were you anyways I've been calling you nonstop!"

"It's a really long story, but I guess you heard about Russell?" I asked.

"Yeah Alcide told me. Are Bill and Eric looking for him?"

"Yeah, it's crazy around here. The Authority is getting involved."

"The Authority!" She screeched.

"It's under control but it's probably best if you lay low for a while. They know what we are."

"Holy shit," she said taking a breath.

"Like I said, under control. Now what did you call me about?"

"Oh! I think…well I haven't had the flashes in months, not since Sookie vanished you know. But today I was with Alcide, he went to tell Debbie's parents about her being dead, and it was crazy! I could feel their emotions; it was like I actually felt what they were feeling."

"Whoa. Wait back up, Debbie is dead?" I asked shocked.

"Um yeah, long story. It's settled now."

"Ok…so you have a new power?" I asked trying to get caught up. I was still tired.

"Yeah, to replace losing the future-seeing stuff I guess."

"Wow…"

I talked to Rachel for another hour then drove into town to get Sonic and run a few errands. When I got back to Bill's I finished my bacon cheeseburger and wadded up the bag to throw away inside. I opened the front door to see the house was a disaster area. The first thing I thought was that the Authority had come after Bill and ransacked the house but when I heard Jessica complaining from Bill's study I sighed in relief.

"What is going on?" I asked.

"We're looking for a bug," Jess said with a groan.

"If they were bugging you wouldn't it just be in the…" I trailed off when I realized Jessica didn't know everything.

"Well there doesn't seem to be anything here fortunately," Bill said. He touched my hand and I was able to hear him clearly _Don't tell Jess please, as far as she knows you, Eric and I were on a business trip. I don't want to worry her_

I nodded.

"So we're done then?" Jess asked.

"Yes, I guess so. I'll have the cleanup crew but everything back in order. Shall we grab a Trueblood?" Bill asked taking Jess's arm. "And a Dr. Pepper of course for Lily. We can have some family time."

"Bill, what has gotten into you?" Jess asked laughing. "Lily, what did you do to him on your trip?"

I held my hands up in surrender. "It wasn't me!" I tried to sound light and carefree but it was hard, knowing that this may very well be some of the last time we'd all get to spend together.

"So tell me about this party you threw," Bill said to Jess.

"Ooh you threw a party? Do tell," I encouraged.

"Just a few friends nothing fancy we played guitar hero, no one got eaten so…a good day you know?" She looked embarrassed and I laughed.

"You better invite me to your next party," I said.

"Um duh, you're practically my sister. Get Rachel too, we'd be unstoppable. Maybe the three of us could go to Fangtasia together some time."

"Yeah sure, how about next week?" I asked. I wonder if I'll even be here next week…

"Yay! Girls' night out!"

We had migrated slowly from Bill's office to the living room and we were standing in the middle. Bill put his arms around us and hugged us tightly. I put my arms around Bill and Jess and squeezed, who knows if I might get to hug them again.

**RPOV**

"Do we really have to go see Sookie?" I asked. We were almost to Hummingbird road and even though I knew it was too late to turn back now I could still try.

"I want to tell her what I said to the Pelts," Alcide said.

"Couldn't you just call her?"

"Plus I'm worried about her," he finished.

I rolled my eyes. "Everyone is worried about Sookie."

"Aren't you too?"

"Fine yeah, I'm worried she's about to go off the deep end. But honestly, I know there's nothing I can do to stop it. Besides there's always ten people there to catch her she slips."

"We still need to go over there; you're running out of clothes."

"Fine. Only because I'm tired of wearing the same jeans every day."

We pulled into Sooks driveway and parked. I hurried out of the car and ran up the front steps egger to get this over with. I knocked and I heard her yell something through the door and took that as the ok to come in. "Hey Rachy!"

"Sookie are you drunk?" I asked.

"Uhm I had a few drinks I guess," she said.

"Well Alcide needs to talk to you, so I'm going to go pack." I went down the hall to my room and grabbed my cute purple suitcase from under the bed. I started tossing all the clothes I could find into it and then filled a few smaller bags with shoes and beauty products. When I was done there was hardly anything left in the room to show that I'd been there before. The only items I left were a few things Eric had gotten me while we were dating, I didn't really want to carry those over into my new life. Well I did take that cute Alexander McQueen clutch he got me for Christmas, but it's Alexander McQueen! I rolled my bags down the hall where Alcide was explaining to Sookie what he had told the Pelts. Sookie jumped up and hugged me. "Oh my gosh!"

"I'm so sorry. I'm so grateful to both of you!" She hugged me again and then pulled my down on the couch. "You have to at least let me give you a drink."

"Just one," I said.

"I'm going to need more than one," Alcide said sitting next to me.

OoOoO

Several drinks later the Debbie situation had been but on the back burner and we were all talking and laughing like we hadn't in such a long time. "What happened to us?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" Sookie asked.

"We were best friends!"

"One day you woke up on the wrong side of the bed and started being a bitch," she said with a shrug.

"Hmm maybe, or maybe it was your fault."

"Can we start getting along again?" She asked.

"Ask me when I'm sober," I said. She laughed and we clinked classes and drank another. I turned around and kissed Alcide.

"Oh god you two, get a room!" Sookie said.

"But couches are kind of our thing!" I said.

"Ugh fine, getting kicked out of my own living room. I see how it is." She stood up and grabbed the bottle of vodka on the table and my untouched orange marzipan that smelt nasty, and headed upstairs.

**LPOV**

I walked up next to Bill and Eric who were watching the scene in Sookie's living room. Rachel, Sookie and Alcide had been drinking and laughing and now Sookie was leaving and Rachel was making out with Alcide. I sighed, "Why am I not surprised?" I wished that I could go back to a time when I could just get drunk and have fun; I hadn't been able to do that in who knows how long.

"Don't we have somewhere better to be? Somewhere where we Russell might be?" Eric asked and I realized this was probably even more awkward for him; standing with his current girlfriend while his ex girlfriend made out with her new boyfriend.

"Sookie and Rachel might be helpful," Bill said.

"As much as I don't want to drag them into this, Bill's right. Come on let's go in."


	20. 20 The Gangs All Here

**RPOV**

Sookie tripped up the stairs a few times and made a lot of noise but Alcide and I pretty much just ignored her, the girl really needed to learn to keep herself together. Alcide's shirt came off and mine followed soon after and the undressing continued until we were just in our underwear. Then Sookie had to go and scream. Alcide and I both jumped up and ran around the corner and up the stairs where Sookie was standing in front of Eric, Bill and Lily.

"What the fuck are you two doing here?" She demanded.

"We need to talk to you, all of you really," Bill said glancing at me and Alcide. Eric looked at me too and I looked away quickly.

"I'm going to um…yeah." I went back down stairs and tossed my clothes back on and went into the kitchen where Sookie had started a pot of coffee she looked over at me and then grabbed another mug, I must look pretty bad then. I ran my fingers through my hair and tried to look at my reflection in the window. This was the first time I'd seen Eric since we'd broken up; though technically we hadn't actually done the whole break up thing, we were going to have to have a nice long chat eventually. We sat down at the table with the vampires and my sister.

"What's this all about?" Sookie asked.

"We need you to unglamour someone," Bill said.

"What? Can that even be done?" She asked.

"If anyone wouldn't Lily be able to do it? Since she can glamour people in the first place I mean," I said.

"Sookie did it before with Tara," Bill pointed out.

"That was a Maenad," Sookie said.

"Where were you guys anyways? Lily didn't tell me much," I said. "I called a dozen times, I was worried."

"I can see that," Eric said. Lily gave him a look.

"We need to fine Russell and the construction worker is possibly the only one who saw who dug him up," Bill said changing the subject.

"I don't want you fangers messing with my employee," Alcide said.

"Alcide this is the only way!" Lily snapped.

"This is their fault for not killing Russell in the first place!" Alcide said motioning to Bill and Eric.

"We had our reasons wolf," Bill said trying to stay calm.

"Frankly I don't give a damn," Alcide said.

"Do you know care what the consequences of letting Russell run free are?" Lily asked.

I grabbed my head and groaned."Could you all kindly shut the fuck up?" I yelled. Everyone stopped and stared at me. "God! No matter what I do or where I go someone is always going to be trying to kill me or one of my friends. I don't even know why I'm surprised when another thing goes to shit it's basically a weekly occurrence by now."

"Wow she gets even snappier when she's drunk," Lily mumbled.

"You really don't want to start with me." I opened the back door and walked out. "Come on, the sooner we get this over with the sooner I can pretend that I have a normal life again."

"Says the girl who always wanted adventure," Lily said.

"Lily, shut up."

OoOoO

When we got to the parking garage I felt a little less drunk, thankfully. Our group walked to the construction office where Dug was chilling out. He stood up and walked towards us. "Dug, this is my girlfriend Rachel, her sister Lily and my friend Sookie."

"Nice to meet you," Sookie said. Lily and I just mumbled.

"What can I do for you all?" Dug asked.

"We just need to ask you a few questions," Sookie walked over towards the spot where Russell had been dug up. Sookie, Lily and I grabbed hands and then added Dug into our circle; he looked confused but followed along anyways. "What do you remember about that night?"

"Not much," he said. Sookie sent a pulse of her fairy magic through the circle and it was like his blocked memory had been unlocked to us. We watched a lady dig up Russell. "Ew," I murmured when a creepy bloody body was pulled out. The lady turned just slightly, we couldn't see her face but a pendant flashed.

Lily gasped. "That's the Authority symbol. The woman that dug Russell up is in the Authority!" She whirled around breaking our circle. "Which one is it then? The crazy southern lady or Salome?"

Bill ignored her and turned to Eric. "You told Nora. You told Nora and now we're all going to be killed because of your mistake."

"Oh, I guess she's a possibility too," Lily said unhappily.

"Who's Nora?" I asked. No one said anything and I sighed; I had gone from being in the in crowd to being on the fringes in a matter of days.

"Come on, let's go," Sookie said ushering us all into one of the Herveaux construction trucks. I stuffed myself between Alcide and Sookie in the front seat and Dug sat on the other side of Sookie. Lily climbed in the back with the vampires. I lay my head against the back wall and tried to read Lily's mind so I could hear what was going on but she was totally closed off to me.

**LPOV**

I sat in the back of the truck with Eric and Bill on the drive to wherever it was that Russell had been taken. They were arguing over whether Nora was behind this or not. I had to admit I kind of agreed with Bill but of course I wasn't going to say that in front of Eric. Nora hated me, I wouldn't put it past her to hand me over to Russell. Though she hadn't know I would be coming, but that was beside the point. Nora was a bitch.

"What do you think, Lily?" Bill asked.

"Maybe she did it, maybe she didn't. I don't really want to go pointing fingers unless we know for sure. You get a little to trigger happy sometimes, Bill," I said trying to quiet the argument.

"Nora was trying to help us," Eric said.

"That's what she said she was trying to do; we all know Nora is a traitor and a liar, just like her brother," Bill said. Eric jumped towards Bill fangs out.

"Would you two stop it?" I yelled. Bill's phone rang then and we all stopped moving. "Well answer it!" Bill opened the phone and talked quietly to the person on the other end. A little light flashed under Bill's shirt and I turned to see the same light on Eric. "Well fuck," I mumbled.

"We don't have much time," Bill said to us when he hung up. The truck came to a stop and Eric opened the door and helped me out. We were standing in front of a creepy old building.

"Why is it that the battle scenes never take place somewhere fun like a mall? Of course we'd find Russell in an abandoned hospital," Rachel said coming to stand next to me.

"I think it's better if you three girls stay outside with Dug and Alcide," Bill said.

I snorted "I'd just like to point out my head is also up on the chopping block if you two fail so I'm going with you, and I'm pretty sure that Rachel and Sookie will feel the same way."

"I'm tougher than I look," Rachel said. "You should know that by now."

I grabbed Rachel and the two of us walked into the creepy hospital together. Sookie followed behind us with Dug so we'd know where to turn. Alcide followed protectively behind Rachel, his hand resting on her back. Alcide sniffed around, "Wolves have been here."

"Wolves you know?" Rachel asked looking at him.

"Maybe, it's hard to tell."

"Probably those freaks that hung out with Marcus."

I realized that even though Rachel and I had been apart for just a few days we both had entirely different lives already. We walked through another door into a room that probably used to be a waiting room. Sookie pushed back a curtain and a terrible smell hit me I moved to see what was in the room, piles of dead bodies covered in rats lay rotting and I gagged at the smell. "Seems we're in the right place," Eric commented.

"Come on," Sookie said leading us down another hallway. There was a loud noise and Dug screamed and turned around and ran off. Sookie and Alcide ran after him. The turned into a room and there was more screaming.

"Ugh why does everyone insist on yelling when I have a headache?" Rachel groaned before pulling me down the hallway towards the others. In the room people hung from the ceiling several of the looked dead but a few of them were moving and others were yelling. Sookie twisted me and Rachel back around and led us down another hall.

"Are you ready?" Bill asked us. We all nodded once before pushing ahead. As we went through a final door I slipped ahead of Rachel and Sookie and stood between Eric and Bill. Rachel grabbed Alcide's hand behind me. On the bed in front of us a very worn out looking Russell was stretched out, though he looked significantly better than he did in the glimpse I'd gotten from Dug. I took a step towards him and he looked over at me.

"Oh Miss Compton, well I don't believe we've met before. Your sister was a lovely guest to have, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Fuck off," I said.

He chuckled and then coughed. "That isn't very nice." There was a growl behind me and I turned just in time to see Alcide disappear and hear Rachel scream.


	21. 21 Just When Things Are Looking Up

**RPOV**

"Alcide!" I screamed. I ran after him down the hall not looking back once. The wolf that had grabbed Alcide was faster than me but I was gaining on him. Then Alcide shifted too and both the wolves began fighting each other and they became a blur of fur. The anger coming from both of them was tangible and it only pissed me off more. I jumped at the other wolf and tried to pull him off Alcide whose shoulder was bleeding pretty badly. The wolf turned on me and gashed my leg with his sharp claws. I cried out but continued to fight him off. Alcide bit the back of the other wolf's neck and threw him against the wall. I backed against the door frame and tried to catch my breath.

Then I had an idea. I could hear the fighting back in the room where my sister was and so I used the emotions of those wolves that were fighting and losing. It took a second to separate Alcide's anger from the other wolf but when I did I grabbed hold of the unknown wolf's emotion and twisted it into something else. Soon the wolf whimpered and took off running with its tail between its legs.

Alcide shifted back and stared at me. "Did you do that?" He asked.

"Yeah I think so." I reached down to grab Alcide's pants but the pain in my leg caused me to collapse.

"Are you ok?" He asked kneeling next to me.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Hurry up we need to get back in there."

He pulled his pants back on and then helped me up. I leaned against him and he wrapped his arm around my waist and helped me walk back down the hall.

**LPOV**

"Alcide!" I heard Rachel scream. She took off after him and I could hear growling and fighting down the hall but before I knew what was happening two wolves had appeared out of nowhere and were fighting the vampires. One lunged sideways at me but I managed to get good footing and fend him off. Eric ripped the wolf off me and threw him hard into the wall with a snarl. The wolf collapsed on the ground and didn't move.

"Are you alright?" He asked snapping his fangs back in.

"Yeah, he didn't get me."

Eric stepped past me, something else catching his attention. I turned to see Russell lying against the wall. Eric raised a stake to his chest, before he could strike though Bill was at his back holding another stake against Eric. "He dies we die. I don't know about you but I am not ready to be killed. Even if you are ready to die do you really want to think about what they'll do to Lily without us here to protect her?"

"Nobody move!" Someone yelled from the doorway. A group of black-clad Authority soldiers moved in with guns pointed at Russell. Kibwe stepped in front of them and motioned for us to step away from Russell. Some of the men restrained Russell and led him towards the door, he pulled away from them and I was surprised how quickly he had recovered after a year of being starved. Russell was led down the hallway still screeching about how much he hated the Authority. Alcide appeared supporting Rachel whose leg was bleeding through a gash in her jeans. "JD put up a hell of a fight until Rach did her fairy thing and scared him off." The vampires and Sookie looked confused but I laughed. I guess that weird power she'd been ranting about turned out useful after all.

"The human and the wolf know too much," Kibwe said. "We will take the twins with us."

"Um no, Rachel stays," I said. "One of us is more than enough."

Kibwe smiled. "Fine, just you then. Glamour them," he said to Bill and Eric. I was surprised that Kibwe couldn't tell what Sookie was and that glamouring wouldn't work on her, but I guess her blood wasn't as strong as mine and Rachel's. Bill walked towards Sookie and Eric looked over at Alcide who was still holding up Rachel.

"You're bleeding," Eric said looking at Rachel's leg concerned. He reached out to bite his arm so she could drink.

"Heal him first," she said.

"I will-"

"Heal him!" She snapped. Eric cut his finger on his fang and rubbed blood into Alcide's cuts. When Rachel was sure Alcide was completely healed then she let Eric heal her. I couldn't help but smile, my sister was generally a pretty selfish person and the Rachel I'd always known would never have stayed injured a second longer than she had to. There must be something really special about Alcide; I knew I was right about the two of them from the start.

Eric sighed "Rachel, I have to glamour him."

"Eric!"

"If I don't they'll kill him," Eric said reasonably.

"Fine do it," she said unhappily.

"This means you can't talk about what happened tonight."

"Right, cause I was planning to write my memoires," she said rolling her eyes.

Eric made Alcide look into his eyes. "You will not remember us showing up here tonight or anything that happened here. And you will always take care of Rachel-"

"Eric, stop," Rachel said. Eric backed away. It was then that I realized that Eric did care for her still; I guess I should have suspected it, I had expected it. But he wanted her to be happy as much as I did. It was a different kind of love, the kind where you're willing to let someone go because it's better for them.

**RPOV**

Sookie, Alcide and I left Lily with Bill and Eric. I wasn't too thrilled to watch my sister get carted off by that strange vampire but for some reason she seemed to like him. A few weeks ago I would have laughed if someone had told me Lily could ever like or trust a vampire besides Bill. So much had changed in our lives in such a short amount of time. Even though I knew that there was nothing I could do to change where I was right now, and even though I wouldn't give up Alcide if I could, I wished that Lily and I could go back to the way we were before our lives got screwed up by all this supernatural stuff.

I tried to relax into the seat between Alcide and Sookie but Sookie was bawling her eyes out and the seat wasn't very comfortable anyways. I leaned against Alcide's arm and sighed. Alcide looked down at me and his eyes widened when he saw my bloody leg. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"I'm ok," I said quietly. I wanted to tell him but I knew that Eric was right, the Authority didn't mess around.

"How did we even get out here?"

"It's a long story; we all had a lot to drink. Let's just get home." We drove in silence the rest of the way to Sookie's, the only noise being Sookie sobbing next to me.

**LPOV**

Kibwe loaded us into an armored truck. He took my arm and helped me climb into the back. I couldn't really say why I liked him but I did. He was much nicer than any of the other Authority members I'd met, well except for Salome but who knows what she's really up to half the time. "No one expected you three to actually succeed; telling us about Russell was like signing your death warrant."

"See I told you!" I said to Bill.

"The Guardian will be extremely pleased to know you have succeeded," Kibwe told us. Bill gave me a look like; I told you it'd work. Kibwe closed the door and I sighed.

"I still think you're an idiot," I said. The car started and Eric pulled me next to him and put his arm around me. "If we die tonight, I love you." He kissed the top of my head.

"Jag älskar dig," he whispered. I smiled; Eric didn't speak Swedish too many people besides Pam.

**RPOV**

When I woke up I was in my old room at Sookie's house next to Alcide. He was twisted in my lavender printed sheets and I laughed quietly. I slipped out of bed and began getting dressed. I could almost pretend that we had just made it up stairs after our make out session on the couch instead of ending up out hunting Russell. But I couldn't quite forget it all. Alcide woke up a little bit after me and we both went down stairs. Sookie was sitting at the dining room table, she looked up when we walked in. "There's some coffee over there."

"How are you handling…you know?" I asked

"Stuff has been messed up for so long I'm used to it by now," Sookie said. I grabbed a cup and started to pour my coffee without looking some splashed my hand and burned. Alcide grabbed the pot quickly and inspected my hand.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

"It was like two drops I'm fine. Sookie, can you fix him?" I asked whirling around.

"What?"

"When Eric glamoured him he emphasized that Alcide needed to protect me and now," I motioned at Alcide and the coffee pot.

"Wait Eric glamoured me?" Alcide asked. Sookie stood up and grabbed his hand.

"Close your eyes," she ordered.

"Fucking JD!" Alcide said a few seconds later.

"Thank you," I said to Sookie.

"Russell Edgington? Weres on V again? It's fucking Jackson all over again!" Alcide said. Alcide grabbed his coat and I grabbed my suitcase from the living room and we both went out the door.

"Thank god that's over with. I'm shit at keeping secrets."

"You let them glamour me?" Alcide asked.

"I didn't really have much of a choice. You saw those guys, they're big and scary, and they would've killed you if they thought you'd remember what happened last night. I was trying to protect you, and anyways you agreed to it."

"We need to get to the pack. I don't want what happened in Jackson to happen here."

"Are you sure you want me to come with you?" I asked.

"You got rid of JD last time, I might need you again."

"Ah, how much better it feels when we are mutually protecting each other, as opposed to you freaking out over me spilling coffee on my hand. Eric really over did that."

"You know I'll always protect you with or without some fanger telling me to."

"Of course I know that, I just like knowing you're doing it because you want to."

OoOoO

When we reached the barn the weres were using as head quarters Alcide barged in and walked straight up to JD. I stood near the door next to a few other weres who didn't seem to like JD any more than Alcide did. "I knew you all looked like the trashy V weres from Jackson," I mumbled. A women near me looked up.

"Not all of us are V addicts, some of us don't approve of what JD is doing," she said.

"I didn't mean to lump you all into one category but it seems that the more weres I meet the more they're all the same."

"I know what you mean. I'm Rikki by the way," she introduced herself.

"Rachel," I said.

"Your boy is going to get himself into a fight if he's not careful," Rikki said.

"I think that's what he's hoping for."

"You're really going to challenge me for pack leader?" JD asked Alcide. "No one wants you here."

"We'll see about that," Alcide said turning away from JD.

"What about your second? Every pack master needs a second," JD said.

"I'll be his second," Rikki said standing up. The group of wolves she was sitting with murmured their approval.

"Yeah? I always knew you were just a stupid as you were pretty," JD said.

"Come on, Rachel," Alcide said. He looked over his shoulder at JD, "Just tell me when you're ready to work this out."

I nodded at Rikki as I walked out. Maybe there were more good wolves around here besides Alcide. We got in Alcide's truck and I was quiet until we got out on the highway. "Are you sure you're ready to be packmaster?"

"I don't know, but I can't let JD ruin any more lives than he already has. He got two wolves killed last night defending Russell."

"So what does it take to become packmaster?"

**LPOV**

We were taken back to the Authority. Guards escorted us into the meeting room where Bill and Eric's trial had taken place before. When we walked in the chancellors sat on couches drinking. Salome stood up to greet us. "Roman is very impressed with you three." She hugged me and smoothed down my hair. "You can tell you were in a fight, we'll get you a change of clothes in a moment. For now let's celebrate!"

Molly stood up and walked over. She undid the stakes from Bill and Eric and then pulled another needle out. "Another needle?" I asked.

"It'll counteract the first one and give you an extra boost. I had some time to study your blood while you were gone; I think I've created the ultimate fairy energy kick, of course you're my first trial so…"

"So you don't really know what will happen, great." I sighed as she stuck the needle in my arm. But she was right, within moments I felt a little more alert and energized. Salome motioned me over to sit on the couch next to Kibwe.

"Here, we had to find this especially for you." Kibwe offered me a bottle of champagne and a glass. I poured some and inspected it; well it wasn't tinted red like all the others so it must be human approved. "You might as well keep the whole bottle; no one here is going to drink it."

"Ah there are my boys!" Roman said coming in. He squeezed both of their shoulders before taking a bottle he was carrying over to the others. He sat it down and turned to face me. "Oh and Lily, how could I forget you." He took my hand and kissed it. "You're going to be very helpful to us in our fight against the Sanquinist. We'll start your training tomorrow."

"My training?" I asked.

"I know that your powers work minimally on vampires but if we're going to have you fighting against them we need you at the height of your abilities."

I glanced at Bill and Eric. "I think we might be getting a bit ahead of ourselves," Eric said.

"Oh you're right; you only just got back from bringing down the most wanted vampire in the world. You're probably feeling a little overwhelmed," Roman said to me. There was a shuffling of seats and Eric and Bill sat on either side of me protectively. "Many lives have been saved by what you've done tonight and I'm glad to know we can count on you being on our side. You do believe in mainstreaming don't you?"

"Whole heartedly," Bill said. Roman shifted his gazed to Eric.

"There are certain humans I feel protective towards." His hand grazed my knee. I tried to give Roman a reassuring look as I kicked Eric in the leg hopefully conveying something along the lines of: Behave yourself before you get yourself killed.

"Right," Roman said standing up. Salome tried to excuse herself for the second time and I glared at Eric who just shrugged. "What's the point in interrogating Russell? He's not going to tell us the truth. Besides I want him executed tonight."

Salome looked surprised but she tried to cover it up. "Would you like me to silver him again and bring him to you?"

"The sooner the better," Roman said. He returned back to his seat next to Eric.

"I request your permission to visit Chancellor Gainsborough," Eric said to Roman.

"Why?" Roman asked.

"She's…she's my sister."

"You will be at the execution?" Roman asked him.

"Wouldn't miss it," Eric said.

"And you?" Roman asked Bill.

"Oh I love a good execution."

"Lily?"

"I um, yeah it sounds like quite the party," I said, though in reality the thought of having more vampire guts sprayed on me hardly sounded appealing.

OoOoO

I stayed with Bill and the others while Eric went to visit Nora. "So finally Russell is going to meet the true death. He should've died months ago."

"We aren't arguing over this again," Bill said.

"I still don't understand why you did that," I said.

"We had our reasons."

Then Russell was dragged into the room by some of the guards. He was pushed to his knees in front of us. Roman began his speech about Lilith and Russell, never one to go out without a fight, had to argue to his very last breathe. It all went by much quicker than I had expected it would and then before I knew it a vampire was turned into mush on the table in front of me.

Except it wasn't who I'd expected. Russell was standing over the splat with a stake and Roman was dead in less than a second. I didn't know what else to do but scream.


	22. 22 Changes

**LPOV**

I had no idea what was happening. The room was plunged into darkness and everyone was yelling. Bill had pulled me next to him and was shielding me, though if Russell really wanted me dead I'm sure he'd just knock Bill out of the way. I must've closed my eyes without noticing, when Bill made me stand up I opened my eyes and the room was once again lit. I glanced behind Bill and noticed legs dangling in the corner, I followed the legs up to the rest of Eric who was hanging on one of the columns. "What the fuck?" I asked. Bill turned around.

"Maybe you two could stop staring and get me down," Eric suggested. As soon as one of the guards helped Bill get Eric off the column we were escorted back to the cells from earlier. I groaned.

"I thought we'd at least get upgraded to a room without bars," I mumbled. At least this time we were allowed to all be in one room so I wasn't stuck trying to talk to the guys from half way across the room. "So let's see, we find Russell, he gets brought back to the Authority and then he kills Roman. We brought the bomb to the party. Except that bomb shouldn't have gone off because he was loaded up with liquid silver." I realized my monologue was being ignored by Bill and Eric who were having the same conversation with each other. "There wasn't any silver." I sighed and looked through the bars where Molly had her laptop and was typing furiously. "Find anything yet?"

"No! I keep checking things but according to my data everything should have gone according to plan!"

"That's just peachy," I groaned.

"How's that shot working? Any unexplained side effects? Puking, headaches, heart attack?" She asked glancing up.

"You gave me that shot knowing it might cause me to have a heart attack?" I asked.

She shrugged. "You're surrounded by vampires; one of us would save you." I was about to say something snappy but before I could there were footsteps in the hall. I turned to see Kibwe opening the gates.

"King Compton, Sherriff Northman, Lily, Chancellor Agrippa requests your presence." We were led out of the cage and down the halls to Salome's room. Salome was waiting on us, as was Nora. Eric put his arm around my waist protectively.

"Come in," Salome said. We took two steps forward and suddenly Russell appeared from behind a curtain. I squeezed Eric's arm tightly but tried to keep my face serene, I wasn't going to let Russell know that he scared me. I tried to read the expressions on the three Sanquinistas' faces since I couldn't read their minds. I listened as Russell tried to explain his reasons for wanting to turn over a new leaf. Nora and Salome both believed every word he said; though I knew that Russell was only doing what he thought would keep him alive the longest.

"Why should we believe anything you say, Russell?" I asked cut him off.

"You know I've always liked you," he said to me. "You have spunk. But if you really want to know, it's all thanks to Lilith." He winked at me like I would understand what he was talking about.

"Roman knew what he was getting himself into, he did not believe in Lilith and that unfortunately led to his downfall," Salome said.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't pretend like there was anything "unfortunate" about the situation. You got exactly what you wanted, power."

"Lily, my dear, you do not see. I don't want to hoard the power; I want to share it, with Nora and Russell, with Bill and Eric, and even with you."

I shook my head in disgust. "I don't want to be a part of this."

Salome looked disappointed. "Eric?" She asked.

"Never." He tightened his grip around my waist.

"I still believe mainstreaming is the only option," Bill said.

"There will be a ceremony tomorrow night. I want to extend an invitation to the three of you; it may give you more insight into our cause."

**RPOV**

After Alcide's first day of training with Rikki we were driving home, Alcide hadn't said much and I was getting tired of his moody silence. "If you know you're going to lose why bother doing this?" I asked.

"Because I need him to know that he has enemies, maybe if other wolves see me fighting against him they'll understand what he's doing is wrong."

"Or they'll all end up just like him."

He ran his fingers through his hair. "I have to try."

"Do you know what will happen, if you lose? Is JD going to just let you go?"

"I don't want you to be there, just in case."

"That's not an option," I told him. He shook his head and looked out the window. "I know you told Rikki no but-"

"I'm not taking V Rachel."

"I know that Debbie and the Jackson pack got messed up on it, but it can be controlled. I've had vampire blood and I'm still normal. Maybe it's because I had it straight from the source, we could find a vampire who will do it. "

"I don't need to be reminded of your time with the fanger."

"Don't start," I said. The more upset we both got, the more I could see his emotion. I reached out and grabbed it mentally; I started to focus in on changing it. If I could just put him in a more amiable mood, maybe I could convince him. _What are you doing, Rachel? _I asked myself. I dropped the emotion. I wanted to get out of the car and go as far away as I could. I couldn't believe I'd honestly thought about altering Alcide. This power may have proved useful, but it was also dangerous. I wished I could trade it back in and get my psychic abilities back, I didn't want to be tempted by it. As soon as we pulled into our drive way I got out of the car. "I need to go for a walk," I told Alcide.

"Hey, Rach. I know you're just worried about me, but I'm going to be fine. Ok?" He walked towards me and reached up to push back my hair.

"Yeah, ok," I said. He kissed my forehead and walked inside. I slumped to the ground next to the truck and tried to breathe, I'd never wished I was normal more than I did at that very second.

**LPOV**

The next night I stood sandwiched between Bill and Eric in the room where Lilith's blood was kept. I listened as Nora and Salome preached how Lilith forgave Russell for all that he had done, and how the blood in the glass vial was not a symbolic representation but the actually blood of Lilith. "Oh please, I feel like I'm surrounded by Catholics," I mumbled. Eric gave me a silencing look.

Salome held the vial up. "Everyone in this room will drink from her."

I glanced up at Eric quickly and shook my head slightly. Dieter stepped forward before I had the chance to say anything and turned to Salome. "Who are you to offer up the blood of Lilith?" he asked. Before he was able to say anything else, Russell pulled his head off. Thankfully I was out of the way enough that I didn't get splattered this time. Each of the other vampires began nodding their agreement with the plan and I glanced in between Bill and Eric. Neither of them said anything.

"I'm not drinking that," I hissed.

"It's no different than any other vampire blood," Eric assured me. "It'll just be like drinking my blood."

I didn't want to do it but when the vial was passed to me I poured some out anyways, though I made sure it was less than the vampires were drinking. I wanted to hide my hand but Salome watched me very closely to make sure I drank it. It only took it a few minutes to take effect.

OoOoO

We were walking the streets of New Orleans, no one seemed to notice us or if they did we didn't care. It was funny to see the vampires drunk. I giggled and fell over into Eric who started laughing as well. I felt extremely lightheaded all of a sudden and thought I was going to pass out but the next thing I knew I was on Bill's back. "Where are we going?" I asked.

"Who knows?" Eric said.

"Just enjoy the trip," Bill said. I shrugged and looked up at the stars, they seemed to leap from place to place and I couldn't look at one longer than a second before it moved. Voices filled my head, lots of familiar voices, and my eyes widened.

"I can hear," I said.

"What?" Bill asked.

"I can hear it all!" I laughed. I listened to each of the vampires; their thoughts were racing all of them crystal clear in my mind. Steve was singing in his head and Nora was pretending she was the queen of England, I snickered. Maybe this wasn't so bad, being high with a bunch of vampires. I felt invincible. If this was any indication of what would happen to my powers if I were to become a vampire, then I approved.

"I think I know where we're going now," Russell said happily before going into a bar. I hopped off Bill's back and followed the other vampires inside at human speed. The vampires had started eating people and I slid into one of the seats at the bar. I grabbed a bottle of vodka from across the counter and took a swig. I felt like there was something I should be doing about what was going on here but I couldn't remember what it was.

Then all the vampires looked towards the front of the room. A woman appeared out of nowhere and I glanced around. "I'm not the only one who sees that right?" I mumbled.

"Lilith," Salome said smiling. Lilith began walking through the vampires and making some odd high pitched noise which was seriously hurting my head. I glanced around the room, when had all these people showed up. Why was no one stopping the vampires from killing them all? Why was I even here right now? Before I could say anything Lilith was standing in front of me, she put a finger on my forehead. I backed away from her and right into Russell who sank his fangs into my neck.

"Faerie blood," he moaned. He bit down again and I felt my knees give out from under me. I was losing blood fast. I tried to scream but no noise would come out and everyone else was too busy feeding to pay attention. Then suddenly I was free. I tried to look up but my eyes wouldn't focus.

"Lily, you're going to be ok," someone murmured. I recognized the voice but I still couldn't see who it was.

"Eric, it's too late. She's going to die," another voice told him.

"No," Eric growled.

"There's only one other option." There was a pause and then fangs bit down into my neck again. There was a cackling laugh then everything faded away completely.

OoOoO

When I woke up I was underground, I started to take a deep breath but then realized I didn't need it. It was so dark. I tried to remember where I was. How had I gotten here? I felt arms around me, holding on to me tightly. Then memories of last night flooded back, I remembered being attacked by Russell and then voices saying I was dead. I flew out of the dirt, pushing it aside as quickly as I could. What if the person down there with me wasn't Eric or Bill, what if Russell was my maker? I'd never be able to get away.

Then the other person climbed out of the hole. I sighed in relief. "Eric, thank god." I threw myself into his arms and he held me.

"You're ok," he said kissing me. "Salome made me wait to burry you until we got back to the Authority headquarters. I thought that might be waiting too long."

"I'm ok," I said nodding. I stepped away from him and looked around. The night was beautiful; I could see things I'd never been able to see before. "Wow."

"I wanted you to be able to chose when you became a vampire, I didn't want it to be forced on you."

"It's ok. I'm just glad I'm not permanently dead," I said. "Hold on let me try something." I didn't have to focus much; I could read his mind word for word. I smiled. "I kept it."

"Your faerie powers?" He asked, surprised. I nodded. "Good, we're going to need them."

"What's going on in there?" I asked glancing at the warehouse that sat on top of the Authority building.

"I don't know, that's what we're about to find out."

We walked inside. The guards had an elevator waiting and we rode downstairs. Salome, Nora and Bill met us in the lobby. "My dear," Salome said hugging me. I hugged her though I didn't much want to. Nora looked at me, less with disgust and more with annoyance like my presence was a burden in her life. Nora probably would have been alright if I had just died.

Then Bill hugged me. "Don't trust anyone," he whispered into my ear. He stepped away with a solemn look on his face that didn't give anything away.

"Come, I will find you a fresh change of clothes. You're dirty," Salome said grabbing my arm and leading me down the hall. I looked back to see the other three vampires all watching me. Salome led me to her room and started rifling through her huge closet. "Try this." She handed me a dress and I quickly changed. "So is it how you expected, being a vampire?" She asked.

"Yeah, I guess so. I hadn't really thought about it."

"I'm sure you're starved, I'll call for someone to be delivered," she said grabbing a phone. After she placed her order she sat down next to me. "Did anything interesting happen? Were you able to read minds?" she asked.

I shook my head. "I thought I would be able to, but I couldn't," I lied.

She frowned. "That's quite unfortunate. I'll have to have a talk with Russell, you were probably more useful to us human than vampire."

Nora came into the room with a man, she pushed him towards me. "I thought he might be nice to look at, that helps you get through it the first time." I was surprised she was being nice to me but then I noticed Bill and Eric behind her and realized they probably made her act nice.

"I believe you have enough helpers here, I'll be back shortly," Salome said. She got up and left the room.

Eric came towards me. "Come here," he said. Nora put the man on the bed and Eric sat me down next to him.

"That's really ok, I'm not very hungry," I said.

"You're a newborn, of course you're hungry," Nora said rolling her eyes.

"Really, it doesn't even smell nice," I said crinkling my nose. Eric glanced at Bill.

"Just try," Eric said.

"Fine," I mumbled. Eric tipped the man's head to the side and I put my mouth by his neck. I had to force my fangs to pop out. Then I bit down, blood flooded my mouth and I drew back quickly. "Oh my god." I spit the blood onto Salome's carpet. "That's disgusting!" All three vampires starred at me. "It's just an acquired taste right? I mean I'll get used to it won't I?" I asked. None of the vampires said anything.

Nora began walking around me. "I don't think she's a full vampire."

"What?" Bill asked.

"I drained her and then we buried her, she went through the transformation," Eric told her.

"I think she's gotten all of a vampire's abilities, she seems fast probably strong too. We already know she can glamour people, she's probably got her other faerie powers too. I think only her human half was able to transform, not all of her."

"Are you going to tell Salome?" I asked. Nora rolled her eyes.

"No, of course not. Eric wouldn't want me to." She walked towards the bed. "Move over big brother. If someone doesn't eat this human Salome will accuse you all of being traitors." We stood there while Nora drained the man.

"Thank you," I said.

"I'm not doing it for you," Nora said. She walked past me and out the door.


	23. 23 Last Line of Defense

**This story has been nominated for an Energize W.I.P. Award in the category "Most promising True Blood FanFiction" Voting is March 13-20 and it would be awesome if all of you voted for me! I have a link up at the very top of my profile!**

**RPOV**

Alcide was preparing to leave for the packmaster challenge. I was sitting on the couch not really watching TV and holding a barely touched bowl of pasta. Alcide ran down stairs and stopped next to me. "You need to eat," he told me.

"It's pretty hard to do that when you might die today," I said sitting the bowl on the coffee table. I stood up and took a step towards him.

"I'm going to be fine, I promise." He touched my cheek and then leaned down and kissed me softly. "I'll be back in a few hours. In the meantime you just stay here." He sat me down on the couch and grabbed a blanket to pull around me.

I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him closer to me and kissed him more forcefully than we he'd kissed me. "I love you."

"I love you too." He kissed me again and then turned and went out the front door. As soon as he was gone I grabbed the clothes I had stashed under the couch and changed out of my pajamas. I ran out to my car and in a few seconds I was pulling out of the garage and on my way to the old barn that belonged to the pack.

When I arrived everyone was already inside and I slipped in the door without anyone noticing. A man in the front of the room was introducing JD and Alcide. I walked up to join the pack. No one seemed to realize I didn't belong; they must have been too focused on the presentation. I looked for Rikki and found her in the front row. I thought about going up to join her but I knew Alcide would notice me so I hung back. I was almost trampled by a couple of wolves dragging a teenage guy up to the front of the room.

JD had taken over the center of attention and was ranting out going back to their root and some bullshit like that. I stepped around a few people and stood behind Rikki. Alcide was so busy staring at JD he didn't even see me. "What's going on?" I hissed in her ear. She started but quickly realized who I was.

She didn't draw attention to me by facing me and spoke under her breath. "When two people are up for Packmaster we have them hunt an animal. JD has picked that kid."

"That's a person! You can't hunt a person!" I said shocked. She shushed me as my voice was rising.

"In case you were thinking this isn't much of a challenge, this kid is a track star at the university," JD said. I felt nauseous. JD wanted to kill this college student who had his entire life ahead of him. The more upset I got the more threads of emotion I could see but it was impossible to find JD's. The room looked like a spider web and I thought I was going to have a panic attack. Alcide was speaking but I couldn't hear. It felt like someone was stuffing cotton in my ears. Alcide was close and I could see him now over Rikki's shoulder and things got a little clearer, though this also meant he could see me. His eyes widened but he kept talking to Rikki. I tried to focus on what he was saying but it was still hard. "You can't drop out!" Rikki said. I understood that well enough. I stepped forward and grabbed Alcide's arm.

"You can't let him win, Alcide! He's insane!" I said.

"You shouldn't be here, Rachel," Alcide told me. He tried to push me back into the crowd but JD had already seen me.

"And look who we have here, the pretty human girl that Alcide is dating. What sort of Packmaster dates a human? It's not natural," JD said. He yanked me to the front of the room. Now that I was so close to JD and spaced out from everyone else I could find JD's thread easier. I snagged it and injected it with pain, lots of it and he feel down to his knees.

"I'm not human, you worthless piece of shit," I told him.

"Witch," he managed to get out through clenched teeth.

"Nope, try again."

Alcide grabbed me, making me lose focus. JD gasped in relief. "Stop, Rachel."

"Stop? Like he was going to stop torturing that boy?" I glanced around but the kid must have run. "He deserves this."

"This is my battle, let me fight it," Alcide told me. He launched himself at JD and the two started trying to kill each other. I couldn't separate one emotion from the other even if I had tried. JD finally flipped Alcide and had him by the throat. JD turned and ran after the kid and Alcide chased after him.

Rikki walked towards me. "You alright?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm ok. What about them?" She didn't answer though I had a feeling we were both thinking the same thing.

**LPOV**

Being a vampire wasn't as strange as I expected it to be. Maybe it was because Nora was right and I wasn't one hundred percent vampire. I wanted to call Rachel and tell her but Salome had taken our phones days ago and so I had no way of reaching her. Salome had us moved into actual bedrooms and I was sitting in mine that night when Bill came in. "How are you?" He asked.

"Pretty good, under the circumstances." I looked for a piece of paper and wrote down _"Is it safe to talk in here?"_ He shook his head no and then tapped his forehead. I dropped my guard so I could hear him.

"_Salome and the others are planning something. They want to take down the humans and put vampires in power." _

"Who am I supposed to trust?" I asked quietly.

"_No one." _He said in his head, but out loud – for the benefit of anyone who might be listening in – he said, "Everyone here has your best interest in mind."

"Great," I said sarcastically. Bill gave me a look to tell me I wasn't being a very good actress. "Where's Eric?"

"I think he went to find Nora." He started to say something else but before he got a word out Salome was walking into my room.

"Oh, Lily. You must come have dinner with me," she said.

"Oh, I just ate," I lied.

"No matter, come anyways. We'll talk and I'll eat."

I glanced at Bill for help but he didn't say anything. He seemed too passive, as if he could care less about Salome dragging me off to do who knows what, not at all the Bill I had gotten used to. Salome motioned me out of the room impatiently and I followed her down the hall to the holding cells where there were at least twenty humans caged like animals. I felt sick to my stomach.

"Which one do you think looks good? I have a hard time choosing," she said to me. I didn't want to look at them, they all looked so scared. I rifled through their minds looking for someone who didn't have a family, someone who wouldn't be missed. "Well, which one?"

"Him," I said reluctantly. I pointed at a man who from what I gathered didn't have a family and had been found on a street somewhere. Salome shrugged and motioned for the guard to remove him. The guard led the man down the hallway back to Salome's room and then left the three of us alone. He was quiet, unlike the others and that made me feel worse about having to choose someone. I sat down on the couch and tried not to look as she sunk her fangs into his neck. The metallic scent of blood filled the air but my fangs didn't so much as quiver. As soon as she was finished she let his body drop to the ground with a thud and then leaned into the hall to motion for her guard to take it away.

"You're very restrained for a newborn. It's quite interesting. I would have drained a hundred men a day if my maker would have let me." I shrugged. "Ah well, of course you wouldn't have any idea about yourself. You are a peculiar case. A half-blood faeire turned vampire." I didn't know where she was going with this so I just nodded along. "It's such a shame you didn't keep a single power, Russell found that unfortunate as well after he sobered up."

"I'm sure he did. I'm sure you all did. You all just want to use me for your own gain. You want to take over the world? Fine. But you're going to have to do it without my help."

She made a tsking sound. "You are still so very fiery. It's a great trait to have in a Chancellor. I was hoping that you would join us, with or without your powers."

"What?"

"You have a very interesting view point. You're the most human of all of us."

"How is that helpful?" I asked confused.

"You know their weaknesses, what makes them tick, what they fear. These are useful skills in their own right." She offered me a hand. "Join us."

I didn't trust her but I could play double agent. I could pretend to be in their inner circle but actually work with Eric and Bill to take down the Authority from the inside out. I nodded, "Alright, I'm with you."

"That's the best thing I've heard all day," she said, smiling brightly. "Oh, before I forget." She pulled a necklace out of her pocket, identical to her own, and placed it around my neck. "Welcome to the Authority."

**RPOV**

"We should go after them. Someone is going to die," I told Rikki.

She nodded. "The pack will go after them, you stay here."

"I'm coming with you," I told her.

"You said yourself someone is going to die and I'm sure as hell not going to let it be you, Alcide will never forgive me."

"I'm so fucking tired of people telling me what to do and where to go. I chose this life and I'm going to deal with the consequences and if you think I'm going to sit on the sidelines while some crazy werewolf is possibly ripping my boyfriend to shreds you're insane." I turned and walked out the front doors behind the pack not even bothering to check and see if Rikki was behind me.

The pack was faster than me but I managed to not get totally lost behind them. Lucky for us JD and Alcide hadn't made it too far and we didn't have much trouble finding them. We could hear their voices through the trees yelling at each other and I followed them. When I finally got to the clearing I could see what was going on. JD had thrown Alcide to the ground. Alcide looked like he was either knocked out or on his way to being there. The rest of the pack was in front of me still and I ran around them. I dropped to my knees next to Alcide just as JD held up a rock to slam into Alcide's skull.

"JD, stop!" Martha yelled. I was too frazzled to do anything.

"You're going to defend them over your own Packmaster?" JD asked Martha. "He killed your son and god knows what the fuck she is." He hadn't put down the rock and I was struggling for the right web but I was so burnt out that I couldn't grab anything.

"Killing your challenger will only tarnish the whole pack," Martha told him.

"Rachel hasn't done anything but try to protect the person she loves," Rikki said. "I'd like to think you'd do the same but I'm not sure if you even have a heart."

"You're better than this JD," Martha told him. He stared at her for a second and then dropped the rock on the ground.

He leaned towards Alcide. "Find yourself a new pack," he spit. He stepped over Alcide and walked away. Most of the pack went with him leaving Rikki, Martha, Alcide and I alone.

**LPOV**

Salome invited me to the meeting that night, my first time sitting at the table as a Chancellor. I didn't get the chance to tell Eric or Bill beforehand and they both looked surprised to see me there when they came in. They sat on either side of me and Salome nodded approvingly. "Alright, now that everyone is here, Nora will you start us off."

"Mainstreaming is a problem around the world. We need to begin contacting our friends globally if we want to combat this disease affectively."

The Chancellors launched into their own ideas for fighting the mainstreamers. Kibwe suggested we have vigilante groups patrolling and willing to kill any mainstreamers on the spot. I bit my lip wondering why I'd ever trusted him; he was just as bad as the others. I wanted to kill vampires as much as I wanted to kill humans, not at all. I remembered sitting in Sookie's dining room talking about Rachel's future and my own. We had planned on being friends forever no matter what but unless I figured out how to take down these power hungry monsters I was going to lose every friend I'd ever had.

"Lily, any suggestions?" Salome asked.

"Everyone's ideas sound good. I don't have the connections you all do, obviously."

"Obviously," Nora said annoyed. There were a _few_ vampires I wouldn't mind killing. I started poking around in everyone's heads but there wasn't any relevant information. Bill was looking off into space and I peeked into his head though I didn't much like doing that, but instead of finding thoughts I found a solid wall. Only someone who knew I would be looking would be able to block me out like that and I glanced at him, he had to be hiding something.

"Tru Blood," Bill said.

"What?" I asked. He didn't look at me.

"It's much simpler than we were all thinking. All we need to do is get rid of the Tru Blood." I glanced at Eric who had the same bewildered look I was sure I had. "There are only five factories. If we bomb them it will force mainstreamers to feed on humans."

Everyone else at the table looked excited and they all began making preparations. I grabbed Eric's hand suddenly terrified there was no way I could take down the Authority as I was hoping. Eric squeezed my hand reassuringly but I knew he was as worried as I was. Even if the odds were against us and we were facing a group of crazy people alone I was so glad I wasn't going to have to do it all by myself.


	24. 24 What's Good for You

**LPOV**

It didn't take long for the Authority to put their plan into effect and a few hours before daylight the largest TruBlood factory in the world was in flames. Salome called us into the main chamber to see the news broadcast. When I entered behind Eric I realized there was a man tied to the table, Salome's version of a celebratory feast. I glanced at Eric nervously.

"_You're going to have to feed on him,_" Eric thought to me as Salome went on about how great it was that the vampires were finally getting back to the way they were supposed to be. I wanted to turn to him and say that there was no way I was going to be able to do that but I couldn't draw attention to myself and so I just squeezed his hand tightly.

"Should someone say grace?" Russell asked. "Northman?"

"Prayer is a bit of a foreign concept to me, perhaps someone with more practice should do it," Eric said. "_If you don't Salome will know something is wrong. Don't drink much and don't throw up." _

Salome finished up her prayer to Lilith and they all dived in. I tried to back away when the metallic scent of blood hit the air but Eric grabbed me and pulled me down. Reluctantly I popped my fangs out and stuck my teeth into the man's flesh. The awful red liquid filled my mouth and it was all I could do not to start gagging. Thankfully the man was drained quickly.

"I'm going to go freshen up," I stammered before darting out of the hall and towards the only restroom in the underground facility. I knelt over the toilet and vomited until there wasn't anything left. I groaned and stood up. I barely managed to grip the sides of the stall before my legs gave out. I suddenly felt extremely light headed and let myself slide back down. I wondered if I was going to die of starvation. After all how long can a vampire who can't keep down blood actually survive.

I made it back to my room in one piece by some miracle and dropped into my bed with a thud. The door opened moments later and I opened my eyes enough to make sure it wasn't Salome. Though it wouldn't have mattered if it was, I didn't think I could act like I was alright. Luckily it was only Eric who was holding something in a black bag. He sat on the edge of my bed and pulled out a case of TruBlood and opened one of the bottles. "Try this," he said trying to ease me up into sitting position.

"I can't drink that," I said.

"Just try." He looked so worried I decided to give it a chance, if I threw up again so be it. I took a tiny sip at first and then a bit larger one. The synthetic blood was sweeter and thinner than the real stuff and I found the taste wasn't entirely unpleasant. Rachel had told me she had tried one of Bill's bottles one time when we'd first started living with him and that it had just been a little unpleasant but not horrible, she was right.

"It doesn't taste the same; I think I can finish it." I took the bottle out of his hands and drank it more quickly. It was the first thing I'd been able to drink in days and I was parched.

"Human food may still help you but we have no way of testing that, not to mention there isn't any way to get it down here, so that's out. TruBlood was the next best thing I could think of. You'll have to hide it, Salome won't be happy if she finds out you're drinking it instead of human blood."

I glanced around for a place to put the remainder of the case. I pointed to one of the statues that I'd learned had a hollow base by kicking it while upset a week or so before. Eric picked it up and stood the case on one end inside.

He came and sat down next to me again. "Are you feeling better?" He asked. I nodded, even though I didn't feel much better. I put my arms around his neck and kissed him. He slid me over so there was more room on the bed and he stretched out next to me. "It's almost daylight, you should rest." I curled up facing him and he brushed his fingers through my hair.

"Am I going to die?" I whispered. He moved his hand to rest against my cheek.

"We'll figure something out. I'm not letting you die again." He pressed his lips to my forehead. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep but all I could think about was how I was supposed to live forever and here I was even more fragile than before.

OoOoO

I don't know if it was the TruBlood or the sleep but I woke up the next night feeling much better. Eric was already gone so I went ahead and got up. I peeled off yesterday's jeans and shirt and tossed them into a corner. Salome had redone my wardrobe with official looking blazers and evening gowns, though I had no idea when I was supposed to be dressing up. I grabbed the only remaining pair of jeans and a simple tank top. When I glanced in the mirror the Authority crest necklace was the only thing I could see. I wanted to rip it off and throw it across the room but I knew that if I didn't keep it Salome would get suspicious.

I left my room and walked down the hallway looking for Eric. Or better yet, maybe I'd find Bill and he could explain what the hell was going on. I finally found Eric coming out of a room with Molly. "What's the plan?" I asked casually. Eric shook his head and led me down the hall in the direction I'd just come. We passed my room and headed toward Salome's room where Bill was standing.

"Good, I need to talk to you too," Eric said grabbing Bill and pushing him into the room. "Now maybe you'd like to explain why you've suddenly decided to start a civil war."

"There aren't any cameras in here so fill free to cut the bullshit," I said.

"I don't know who I believe anymore," Bill said. "I saw Lilith, we all saw Lilith."

"We were high as kites," Eric reminded him.

"They're crazy, Bill. Certifiably crazy," I said.

"What if they aren't?" He asked.

"Are you really going to tell me humans are now only food to you?" Eric asked. "Even Sookie? Rachel?" Bill didn't answer. "That's what I thought."

"If you still care about humans, how could you possibly have done something so stupid that puts everyone we care about in danger?"

"I don't know."

"Do I need to remind you that your so called god almost had me killed by Russell?" I asked. He wouldn't look me in the eye and I groaned. "Please tell me you have a plan to get us out of here?" I asked Eric.

"We're leaving tonight."

**RPOV**

"I'm so glad you're alright," I told Alcide for what must have been the tenth time. We were in Alcide's truck driving out to his dad's place in Jackson. We had thought it was probably best to get out of town for a while until things settled down a bit and then we'd be able to figure out where to go from there. I'd packed the necessities and we'd hit the road as soon as we could. "If you had died, I don't know what I would have done."

"You shouldn't have come," he told me. "You could've gotten hurt or worse."

"Well I didn't. I'm okay. You're going to have to start treating me like your equal. I'm dangerous now, I can hurt people. You saw what I did to JD. Now that I can defend myself, I'm not some damsel in distress that constantly needs protecting."

"I don't want you to get hurt."

"Don't you get it? We want to protect each other. That only works if we both start treating each other like equals. Even if I can't help you, I want to go down fighting right next to you." I stared at him, daring him to make another comment.

He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and I saw him smile a little bit. "I love you."

"I love you too." I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "We're in this together."

**LPOV**

Eric and I went into the main chamber and found Nora in the room with the vial of Lilith's blood. "I'll let you two talk," I told him. I went to sit down far enough away I couldn't hear what they were saying without using my vamp-hearing. They spoke quietly for a few minutes.

"Lily?" I was surprised to hear Nora call my name and I glanced up. She motioned me towards her. When I got closer she stepped forwards and held out her hands to me. I took them cautiously. "I've been horrid to you, ever since you arrived. I was blind then to how much Eric truly cares for you. I want to ask for your forgiveness. I want you to see the light as well. You and Eric and I are all Lilith's children."

I glanced at Eric. I could tell he wanted to believe in all the Lilith bullshit for Nora's sake. He didn't want her to be crazy because he loved her too much. I supposed I would be the same way if it was Rachel and I in their position. "I'll give it a shot," I told Nora.

"We'll drink her blood together to celebrate. I'll help you believe." She smiled and then gave me a hug. "It will be magical, you'll see!"

**RPOV**

When Alcide and I finally arrived at his father's trailer it was night. We walked up to the door and Alcide just went on in. I followed behind him and walked up the steps. Alcide's father was lying in bed drinking a beer and watching a race on television. I stood in the doorway awkwardly unsure of what to say. "Grab me another beer, hun," he said. I glanced beside me and saw the fridge. I pulled out a couple of beers and handed one to Alcide and one to his dad. "What's your name?" He asked.

"Rachel," I said. He nodded but didn't say anything. I glanced at Alcide a little surprised he hadn't mentioned me.

"You here to lecture me again, son?" He asked Alcide.

"I lost pack master, I was abjured," Alcide told him. Alcide's hand found mind and I squeezed it.

"A lone wolf, just like your old man," his father said.

"I'm nothing like you," Alcide said. I had always thought of Alcide as a bit of a lone wolf from the start, he was never like his pack and that was a good thing. Eric had done a lot of things but one of the best had been putting Alcide in my life.

"Sure you're not," his dad mumbled. I wanted to say that I was sure Alcide wasn't like him because I'd yet to meet a single other person like him, but I kept my mouth shut. I had a feeling there were things I didn't know about the two of them and I didn't want to stir them up that night.

**LPOV**

Nora was planning on having us drink the blood the next night, but little did she know we didn't plan on being here that much longer. Eric led Nora out into the lobby and I followed behind. "Oh it's going to be just great, the three of us, I can hardly believe it," Nora was saying. Molly was waiting for us by the elevator and Nora looked a confused. Before she could say anything Eric quickly injected her with liquid silver to knock her out and we went to the door. Molly turned off the cameras and hit the elevator button. Eric quickly scooped up Nora and carried her to the door to prick her finger for the blood scan. I held up a hand to stop him from opening the door quite yet.

"Where's Bill?" I asked. I glanced at the door and bobbed on me heels.

"We need to go," Molly said.

"He's coming," I told her. Bill appeared and I sighed in relief.

"You had us worried there for a minute," Eric told him. Eric pricked Nora's finger and the light flashed green. The doors slid open to reveal Salome and several guards waiting for us. We were surrounded in seconds.

"Bill, how could you?" I yelled as two guards grabbed my arms.

"Cover her eyes and shield your minds, she can glamour you and see what you're thinking," Bill ordered the guards holding him. I gasped in horror that he was telling them what I could do.

"She lost her powers in the change," Salome said.

"No, she kept them all," Bill told her. He walked forwards and touched my cheek.

"Don't touch me! Don't you fucking touch me!" I screamed as someone covered my eyes leaving my totally powerless. I went limp and they dragged me away.

"I'm doing this for your own good, Lily. This is what god wants," I heard Bill say as the led me down the hallway.


	25. 25 Prisoners without Chains

**LPOV**

"I'm so fucking tired of these cells!" I snapped as the guards tossed us into the last empty cell. The other two were occupied by the other vampires' dinner.

"We're fucked," Eric said.

"Bill won't let them kill us."

"Are you sure about that?" He asked.

I opened my mouth to defend Bill but then closed it and shook my head. "I don't know anymore." I glanced around and realized that Molly hadn't been brought into the room. "Where's the tech geek?"

"Probably facing judgment in the main chamber."

"They're going to kill her, aren't they? No matter what she says? That's our fault."

"She wanted out of here just as badly as we do. She knew the risk she was taking when she agreed to help."

"Your presence is required in the main chamber," one of the guards said opening the door to our cell. One of the men wrapped something around my eyes to prevent me from glamouring any of them. The guards grabbed us and led us down the hall. Bill was waiting inside when they opened the doors.

"The others want you both executed. They might be willing to be more lenient towards you, Lily. I can make the argument that you were under the compulsion of your maker," Bill said.

"I wasn't," I spit at him. "I don't want to be part of your insane new religion!" Bill pulled the blindfold so it fell around my neck but avoided my eyes so I couldn't do anything.

"Lilith will show us the way," Nora said.

"Lilith can suck my dick," I snapped. Nora looked a bit taken aback. I looked at Bill again, "You can't honestly expect me to listen to you, right?"

"I don't want you to listen to me. I want you to listen to Lilith." He removed a dropper from his pocket. Eric started struggling against the guard.

"No, I won't," Eric said.

"I'll do it with you," Nora said dropping to her knees next to him.

"Bill, are you crazy? In case you forgot, last time I took that I died," I said.

"And I'm very sorry it turned out this way but I'm afraid this is necessary for your survival." He forced my mouth open and made me take a drop from the dropper and then did the same to Eric. Bill walked out of the room, no doubt to watch on the security screens a safe distance from us. For a moment nothing happened and then a red light appeared. It was impossible to control my powers when I had Lilith's blood and I could hear voices in my head from all over the compound. I moaned and put my head in my hands trying to silence the noise.

"Godric," Eric whispered. I looked up quickly. The red light had been replaced with a man. Godric had met the true death before Rachel and I had come to Bon Temps so we had never met him. Rachel probably knew more about him than I did; Eric and I hadn't really gotten a chance to talk about his early life with all that had been happening since we'd gotten together.

"No!" Nora exclaimed. "How are you here?"

"My blood is in you, my children." He walked towards us and touched Nora's cheek. She shrank away from him. Godric moved past Eric and touched my face next. The voices filling my head suddenly grew quiet. "Eric's new progeny. You are a special one aren't you?"

"Am I?" I asked.

He smiled. "I think you know the answer to that."

"Where is Lilith?" Nora cried out.

"Lilith will destroy you," Godric said, turning his attention to his own progeny.

"She is our god!"

"Nora, shut up and listen to him," I snapped.

"Look at what you are doing to the world you live in. This is not right," Godric told her.

"Save her, she's lost," Eric said.

"No, I belong to Lilith!" She said. Her tone was beginning to border on hysteria. Another red light appeared and out of it stepped Lilith. Lilith walked up behind Godric and wrapped her arms around him.

"No, stop!" I yelled at her.

"I am not the one who must fight her," Godric said right before Lilith ripped his throat out. Nora and Eric screamed and I just stared as their maker was reduced to a pile of goo.

I looked straight into the security camera where I knew Bill would be watching. "You are as dead to me as he is to them," I said calmly.

OoOoO

Nora brought fresh clothes by my room, which I had been allowed to return to. "They want to see you and Eric."

"Alright," I said. I expected her to leave but instead she sat down on my bed. "Is there something else, Nora?"

"I was wrong. This is my fault."

"I don't blame you," I told her.

She looked at me. "But you hate me."

"I don't hate you; I just don't particularly like you very much. You're Eric's sister, so in a way I guess that sort of makes you my aunt. Family isn't supposed to get along, right?"

She smiled a tiny bit. "I guess that is true."

I put my hand on top of hers. "It doesn't matter what happened before, all that matters is what we do now." She nodded.

"Get changed, we should meet the others soon."

OoOoO

Eric and Bill met us outside the doors to the main chamber. I didn't look at Bill and he didn't say anything to me either. Eric and I walked through the doors with Bill and Nora following directly behind us.

"How are our prisoners?" Kibwe asked.

"No longer prisoners," Nora answered.

"We had a breakthrough with Northman," Bill said. I noticed that he left me off the list but he didn't call me out either. He was still trying to protect me. I still didn't understand what he was trying to accomplish here. Everyone had mental guards up now; Bill must have given them a lesson in shielding their minds from me while I was locked up. It made me feel blind and I hated it. I tried to look casual and not betray my unease. I was already distrusted and I had a very strong feeling that I wouldn't be given another chance if I messed up again.

Eric stepped forward and addressed the other vampires. "Lilith came to us and destroyed my maker. It is clear to me that I have been refusing to acknowledge what is right in front of me. I ask for the forgiveness of the Authority."

"And you Lily?" Salome prompted.

"I saw the same thing Eric did," I said, avoiding what she actually wanted me to say. Salome stared at me, waiting for me to continue. "Forgive me for-" I paused racking my brain for anything I could say that wouldn't be an outright lie. "Forgive me," I said. Ambiguous enough.

"Lily, there's someone here you might want to see," Bill said without really looking at me.

I wanted to refuse to go anywhere with him but I figured it would probably look suspicious so I nodded. We went out the doors into the lobby and stood in front of the elevator. Neither of us said a thing as we waited for it to descend to our level. When the doors finally slid open Jessica was inside flanked by two guards. "Bill what the fuck is going on?" She asked stepping out.

"Jess!" I said happily.

"Lily? Have you been here the whole time? When you and Bill disappeared I was seriously freaking out. Rachel said you would turn up but I wasn't sure. I mean last time Bill disappeared he almost died, and then there was the time Sookie disappeared and Rachel lost her memory and oh! I thought something terrible had happened." She threw her arms around me and hugged me. I laughed and hugged her back, I missed having her around. The two of us had barely spent any time together since the year before when Rachel was in Mississippi and Sookie was with the faeries.

"I'm fine, I promise," I told her. She took a step back and took a good long look at me like she didn't believe me. I smiled and popped my fangs out and she screamed.

"Holy shit! Who turned you?"

"Eric. It happened a few days ago. I'm a baby vamp now."

"You are so not the girl who moved to Bon Temps a couple of years ago."

"Lily, if you don't mind, I would like to speak with Jessica alone for a moment. I'm sure you girls will have plenty of time to catch up later."

"Yeah, I'll see you later Jess."

OoOoO

A couple of hours later we were all at a planning meeting. Jess was pacing while reading the Book of Lilith and looks incredibly irritated. _"I don't know if you can hear me, but if you can please stake me. I can't take this vampire religion crap." _Jess thought at my furiously. I turned my head towards her slightly and winked to let her know I could hear. It wasn't like it was a secret anymore but I also didn't want the other Authority members thinking I was hatching some grand scheme or something.

"I've ordered translations of the Book in seventy languages," Nora said. "Every new vampire will have to read it."

"And the old ones as well," Eric said.

"_Is your boyfriend for real? Please tell me he hasn't drunk the Kool-Aid too." _Jess glared at me from the other side of the room and I tried not to look at her. _"You aren't falling for this are you? Aren't you agnostic or something? God I wish I could hear you think too!" _

"How do you expect us to assume our rightful position in this world when we're out of commission for twelve hours of the day?" Russell asked.

"That is the way we were made," Kibwe said.

"But we don't have to stay that way. The blood of the fae allows vampires to walk in the sun. I propose we toss Lily out and see if she burns."

"Over my dead body," Eric said standing up.

"While that could be an interesting experiment, I don't think we should use Lily as our test subject," Salome told Russell.

"We would have people ready to cover her if she did in fact burn, but I don't think she would," Russell said. I had to admit there was a chance he was right. If what Nora suspected was true and somehow I hadn't been turned one hundred percent there was a chance I could still walk in the sun. Not that I would tell him that, I didn't want to be a guinea pig. "Well if that's out of the question then I supposed we could just find a full blooded faeire to study. If the Japanese could synthesize human blood why can't we do the same to faeire blood?"

"The fae are an abomination," Salome said. "We thrive in the night." Russell took a threatening step towards her. "I pulled you out of the ground, do not think I won't put you back in it," she said. He tossed her across the room into one of the pillars and the rest of us jumped to our feet, fangs bared.

"Oh please, all of you combined would not be a match for me," Russell said. "I offered to include you in the future but I do not need your gods or your rules. I will have the sun!" He disappeared from the room at vamp speed.

"I knew that was coming from the moment he supposedly discovered Lilith," I said. "Russell only cares about one thing and that is himself."

OoOoO

After Russell left everyone was a bit on edge. I had been sitting in my room alone for at least an hour and I was starting to feel like I was going to throw up. I drink a TruBlood from my hidden stash but it didn't help. I started down the hallway towards Eric's room when I heard a voice. "Lily," the voice called. I turned towards it and followed it towards the main chamber. "Lily Compton."

"Hello?" I called back.

"There can only be one to lead us, I choose you," the voice said. When I turned around Lilith was standing right in front of me.

I shook my head. "If you think I'm going to lead your cult of crazies, you're wrong."

"Drink the blood, drink all the blood. You will see."

"You're trying to turn us against each other aren't you? Godric was right, you will destroy us."

She disappeared and I turned back down the hall and ran into Eric's room. I threw the door open and he stopped moving suddenly, not more than a step away from me, he must have been pacing. "Are you alright?" He asked. He put his hands on my waist and drew me closer to him.

"I saw Lilith. She tried to convince me to drink her blood. Obviously I didn't," I told him. "Eric, I want to get out of here."

He leaned down pressing his forehead to mine. "We will, I promise."

OoOoO

A general was coming to meet with the Authority about the TruBlood factory attacks and Nora had made sure I was invited to the meeting. I sat in between her and Eric and waited for the man to arrive. "Who is he again?" I asked Nora.

"One of our interlocutors with the government," she answered.

"And he's coming here because he knows we blew up the factories," I confirmed.

"Most likely," Salome said from across the table. "And most likely he'll want to meet with Roman, who is unfortunately out of town on business."

"Code word for dead," I mumbled. Salome glared at me. The general walked in and stood at the head of the table.

"Where's Roman, we have important matters to discuss if any of you bloodsuckers want to be alive in the morning?" He asked.

"I'm afraid Roman isn't with us at this moment," Salome said calmly.

"I can see that. Where is he?"

"I'm sure we can help you," Nora said.

"I have been working with Roman for twenty years to protect vampires. We work towards mainstreaming and the bombing of the TruBlood factories was one step too far. Where's Roman?"

We all glanced at each other before Bill spoke up, "Roman is no longer with us." Nora launched into her perfect Lilith loving rant. She was very good at pretending she was still on their side, though Eric and I knew better.

"There are currently talks about how to eradicate vampires from the face of the Earth. We have video of Russell Edgington attacking and killing at least twenty college students. You all told the president Edgington was dead, how do you think the public would react to knowing that he's alive and well and slaughtering people?" None of the vampires said a thing and he nodded. "That's what I thought." He turned and walked towards the door but before he had a chance to leave Eric appeared in front of him and snapped his neck.

"Do you have any idea what you just did?" Salome asked jumping up.

"I'm glad the son of a bitch is dead," Rosalyn said.

"Lily and I can glamour anyone who knew about the video," Eric said.

"Yes, and I know the general's chief of staff," Nora added.

"If the three of us work quickly we'll have it done before anyone even knows he's dead," I added.

Salome nodded, convinced of our plan. "Go, take the jet. Keep me updated."

The three of us turned towards the door but Bill stopped us, "Take a security detail." I glanced back and met his eyes for the first time in two days. "Just in case."

OoOoO

I sat in the widow seat in the car and just stared out the window. I felt like I hadn't been above ground in years even though in reality it had only been a few days. My whole body was buzzing nervously because this was our chance to escape. I remained silent as Eric leaned forwards the change the radio station and then staked the two guards. As I got out of the car I breathed in a deep breath of fresh air. Even if I didn't need it, it felt good to take it in.

"They'll be coming after us," Nora said. She reached towards her neck and looped her fingers around the Authority necklace. I did the same and we yanked ours off at the same time and let them fall to the ground.

Eric put his arms around me. "Hold on," he said before launching into the air.


	26. 26 Right vs Wrong

**RPOV**

"I made lemonade," I said sitting out a pitcher and some glasses.

"Would've rather had a beer," Jackson said.

"Well lemonade is better for you," I said pouring him a glass. He grumbled but took it anyways. I took another glass to Alcide who was working on putting a fence up around the trailer. He finished it in a couple of seconds. As I was pouring a refill a truck pulled up. A man got out and walked towards the three of us.

"Evening, Jackson," he said. Jackson grunted. "Alcide, haven't see you since you were a pup. And who is this?" He asked gesturing towards me.

"Alcide's girlfriend," I answered.

"Not a were," he noted.

"Nope," I said.

"Interesting."

"Did you come here for a reason?" Jackson asked him.

"I've been warning people. There's been a bunch of baby vamp attacks in the area; the vamps are building their ranks."

"Baby vamps on their own?" I asked. "Where are their makers?

"How should I know?" He shrugged. "Anyways, just thought I'd let you know, so you'd be prepared."

"That's why we're building a silver fence," Jackson said. "Now get off my land." I ducked back inside the trailer as the man was starting to leave to grab my phone. I dialed Lily again but she didn't answer. When Jessica had called me a few days ago asking if I'd heard from Lily or Bill I told her I hadn't but I was sure they were fine. Truthfully, I was extremely worried about my sister. Jackson brushed past me as I went back outside.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked.

"Still bitter about getting kicked out of the pack," Alcide said.

"What'd he do?"

"Stole some money from them. He won't admit though." I tossed my phone back and forth between my hands. Alcide glanced up from his work and looked at me. "You alright?"

"Just worried about Lil is all."

"The girl is tough, I'm sure she's fine wherever she is. Plus she has Eric and Bill on her side, right? There's no way either of them would let anything happen to her."

I nodded. "You're right, I just feel like I should be doing something to look for her."

"We'll leave soon, don't worry."

OoOoO

That night we were sitting in the trailer. Jackson was watching TV and Alcide was heating up some microwave dinner. I was debating whether it would be more be more comfortable to sleep in here or to sleep in Alcide's truck outside. I heard voices outside and looked out the window to see some baby vamps near the fence, one of the girls touched it and squealed when it burnt her skin. I looked over at Alcide, "There are some vamps outside and they're going next door." Alcide grabbed his gun.

"Don't go out there," Jackson said.

"We can't let some innocent people die," I said. "Come on, Alcide."

Before Alcide opened the gate he looked at me, "Stay in here, don't argue with me this time." I nodded and he went through the gate towards the other trailer. The vampires who had been at our fence were climbing all over the trailer next door scaring the old woman inside. Alcide shot one of the vamps before it had a chance to react. The other two jumped on him and knocked the gun out of his hand.

I pushed the gate open quickly and ran across the lawn. I grabbed Alcide's gun and shot one of the vamps. From behind me an arrow hit the third vampire who had a hold of Alcide. I turned to see Jackson on the roof of his trailer holding a bow.

**LPOV**

"Where are we going?" I asked. I had to yell pretty loud to be heard over the wind around us.

"To find Russell." A few minutes later the three of us landed in an empty field. I could hear yelling and turned around to see Russell trying to attack the faeries. I started to run towards him but Eric grabbed me and put me next to Nora. "He's mine to kill."

"How did you like flying?" Nora asked as if it was perfectly normal to be in a field full of faeries and an insane old vampire.

"It was fun, a little cold though."

"Vampires don't feel temperature," she said.

"It was cold," I repeated. She didn't say anything, just looked at me curiously. Eric came back covered in Russell's blood and I realized what he had come here to do had been accomplished. Sookie ran past me. I turned and followed her and stopped in front of her. She screamed and jumped back.

"Lily?" She said surprised. "What the happened to you?"

"Russell almost killed me. This was the only option."

"Oh my god there is so much we need to talk about." She motioned me forward and I noticed Jason lying on the ground.

"Is he ok?" I asked. She didn't say anything and we both crouched down next to him. "Jason?" I pushed him softly in the shoulder. "Jason, wake up." Sookie shook him and he moved a little before pushing himself up on his forearms to look at us.

"Lily, we need to go," Eric called.

I stood up and patted Sookie's shoulder as I left. "I'll see you soon." I walked back into the clearing where the two vampires were waiting on me.

Before we could leave one of the faeries ran towards me. "Lily Compton?" She asked. I heard some of the other faeries trying to call her back.

"Yes?"

"I am Claudette, my sister Claudine was your faerie godmother," she told me.

"Oh, yeah, sorry about her." I glanced at Eric over my shoulder.

"It is very rare, to have a hybrid such as yourself. There hasn't been one in thousands of years. We are looking into it for you, so you will know what things you can and cannot do now, though I expect you have already begun to figure some of that out for yourself." She stated to walk away from me and then stopped and turned. "Try going into the sun and tell me what happens."

When she was gone Eric and Nora came up next to me. "Ready to go?" He asked. I nodded and we shot off into the sky once again.

OoOoO

We landed this time out side of Fangtasia. We went through the front door and into the club which I felt like I hadn't seen in ages. Even though I had only been locked up in the Authority for a few weeks it felt like months. "Where is everyone?" I asked.

"They got Pam," Tara said coming out of the back room.

"We have to go back in there," Eric said.

"That is insane," Nora said. "Lily, tell him that is insane."

"Pam's my sister now, I can't exactly let her die," I said.

"She's your what?" Tara asked. I glanced over at her and her eyes widened. "You're not a vamp now too are you?" I nodded and she groaned. "Never in a million years was this supposed to happen to you and me, your skank sister, maybe, but not us."

"Could you maybe not insult my _actual_ sister?"

"You two can't be seriously considering going back in there!" Nora said stopping Tara from saying anything else. "They will kill us."

"That's a chance I'm willing to take," Eric said. We went down into the basement and started gathering the things we needed.

OoOoO

An hour later we were in Sookie's house. Jason and Sookie were sitting in her living room and both looked a bit surprised to see us. I noticed Jason look back towards the couch as if there was someone else sitting on it besides Sookie. No one else seemed to notice that he was acting strange though, so I ignored it.

"We need your help," I told Sookie.

"With what?" She asked.

"The Authority has Bill and Jessica and Pam," Eric told her.

"There is no way I am letting her go with you lot of fangers. Lily, how can you associate with them? They've ruined your life and almost got Rachel killed more than once. They're fucking monsters."

"Too bad I'm one too," I said. Jason's eyes widened in surprised.

"Lil? You're a vampire?"

"Yeah, I am. And now if you don't mind I would like to save my family from dying. Ok?"

"Bill was behind the TruBlood factory attacks. We need to get him out now before he loses himself entirely. Lily couldn't do it but maybe you can," Eric said to Sookie.

"Plus you owe Pam," Tara added.

She nodded. "Alright, let's do it."

"I'm coming with you," Jason said standing up.

"That's a horrible idea, Jason," I said. "You don't know what these people are like."

"They aren't people and neither are you."

"Jason-" Sookie started to say but I cut her off.

"I've never been one hundred percent human and neither have you. I don't care about whose side I'm on, human, vampire, faerie, I care that my friends are dying and right now I'm not doing anything to stop it. So either you shut up and help us or you sit here and mope and let us leave." I turned and walked out of the house.

**RPOV**

Alcide and his father had gone hunting and brought back a buck for dinner. I stared at it as they put it up on a table. "What?" Alcide asked.

"I've never eaten deer before," I told him shrugging.

"Seriously?" Jackson asked.

"I'm from Colorado. I eat organic veggies and free range chicken." The guys laughed and I sat down. I turned my chair so my back would be towards the table where they were working on the deer. I didn't really need to see that. "We should go to Colorado."

"Why?" Alcide asked.

"Because she'd rather be there than living in a trailer with her boyfriend's father," Jackson said.

"This isn't permanent," Alcide told me.

"We could move back to Carbondale. No one would know you; it would be like starting over."

"She's got a point," Jackson said. None of us said anything for awhile and I started to fall asleep. "It's going on the grill. Rachel, go check and see if there are any sides in the fridge."

"I went shopping yesterday, there's potato salad," I told him. "I'm not getting up so someone better serve me." Alcide laughed but went inside anyways. "Smells decent, I guess."

"Are you insulting my cooking?"

"How was that an insult? If you wanted to be insulted I could tell you that plaid went out of fashion three years ago."

Alcide came outside just as a car pulled up. I could hear someone screaming from inside of it and Martha jumped out. "Thank god you two are here. Come and help me get Rikki out of the car."

"Rikki?" I asked. Alcide and I both ran over. When Martha opened the door and Rikki saw Alcide she got out quickly. She looked horrible; a lot like Debbie had when she was on V. "Are you alright?" I asked her.

"They made me drink it!" She told us. She grabbed Alcide's shirt and Martha tried to pull her away. "Don't touch me you fucking bitch." Alcide grabbed Rikki before she could attack Martha.

"What the fuck happened?" I asked. Alcide turned to take Rikki inside.

"JD is forcing weres to drink vampire blood. I'm afraid she might have ODed!"

I grabbed Martha's arms and made her stop moving. "Martha, calm down. We'll figure something out."

"I have something that will help," Jackson said. We went into the trailer and he pulled a bottle out of one of the cabinets.

"Liquid silver?" I asked reading the label.

"Makes the V want to leave the body. Not a pleasant feeling, but it will work."

I nodded and went over to the couch. "Open your mouth, Rikki." She shook her head. "Rikki, this will help. I promise." I glanced at Martha who forced Rikki's mouth open. I put a few drops in her mouth. It took a few minutes to take effect and then she started screaming again. Her sweat was turning blood red and I glanced back at Jackson. "Is that supposed to happen?"

"It'll leave the body anyway it can. She might start throwing up too, grab a bowl." Alcide handed me a bowl and I sat it on the floor next to the couch.

"How do you know all this?" Alcide asked him.

"He's taken V before," I said. "I found some in one of the cabinets when I was putting groceries up yesterday morning."

"And you didn't tell me?" Alcide asked.

"It wasn't my place."

"Why would you do that?" He asked turning to face his father.

"Lots people have tried to kill me and I have to defend myself somehow. Sounds to me like you need a way to defend yourself too. I have better V; if you took it there would be no way JD could beat you."

"No," I answered before Alcide had the chance. They both looked at me. "If you do that, you'll never forgive yourself. We can stop JD another way."

"There is no other way," Jackson said.

OoOoO

We drove straight back to Louisiana and out into the woods where Martha told us the pack had been spending a lot of nights. "I'll wait in the car with Rikki," I told them.

"Rachel-" Alcide started to say.

"Go, get rid of JD."

"I'm sorry-"

"Go," I said again. He turned and left with Jackson and Martha. "How are you feeling, Rikki?"

"Weak but better," she answered. "Is Alcide really going to take the V?" I nodded. "He wouldn't do it if there was any other way. JD needs to die."

"That'll make him packmaster, for sure this time."

"He'll be a great leader."

"Yeah, I know."

**LPOV**

Once we got out of our portable coffins we switched places with the humans and Nora, Eric and I sat up front while Sookie and Jason got in the back with Tara. When we drove through the gates to the Authority building we were stopped by security. "Chancellors, we weren't expecting you until tomorrow."

"Our flight was changed; there was no one to meet us when we got here. Did something happen?" Nora asked.

"We had a breech. I'll have to call you in so they can open the doors for you," the guard told us.

"Of course," Nora answered in a sickly sweet tone. After a moment the guard nodded and waved us on in.

Once in the elevator we got our weapons ready. All of us but Jason had faces of grim determination; Jason on the other hand looked a little too excited. Something had happened to that boy since the last time I had seen him and I didn't like it in the slightest. When the doors slid open and Chelsea saw us she gasped, Jason shot her and she exploded into goo. Nora, Eric and I went into the main chamber before any of the guards had a chance to come to Chelsea's aid.

"Lily, go down the back hall. Take out the guards by the control room. We'll be there as soon as this area is secure," Nora ordered.

I went down the hall and shot the three guards before they realized what was happening. I threw the door open and came face to face with another vampire who was pointing his gun at me. Before he could shoot I grabbed his arm and pointed it at the floor so he shot the ground. "You are going to point that gun at your head and kill yourself," I told him. He nodded and did as I said. As he exploded his blood splattered on my face. "Still not ok with that," I mumbled. Nora and Eric appeared in the room and she sat down at one of the screens and started hitting buttons. "Come on, come on."

"I'm working as fast as I can, Lily." She typed furiously for another minute then sighed. "Done. Come on, let's get out of here."

We met the others in front of the elevator. "They'll be waiting upstairs, be ready," I told them. Once everyone was in the elevator but Eric, Sookie and I the doors started to close.

"Wait a minute aren't you coming with us, Sookie?" Jason asked.

"We have to get Bill," she said. "Make sure it's safe up there." Jason didn't look to happy about it but he let the doors close. We went down the hall to Salome's room and threw the doors open. Bill was inside over a pile of goo.

"I guess you killed Salome then?" I asked.

"She wanted Lilith's blood to herself. I was chosen," Bill told me.

"Bill, you need to seriously listen to me. Lilith is insane, this entire religion is insane. Killing people or vampires or faeries just because you can is insane. A few weeks ago you knew that. You _knew _the difference between right and wrong," I said.

"I have spent my entire life as a vampire think that our kind was wrong and that God had forsaken me. Now I know that she hasn't."

"There's nothing wrong with what we are Bill, there never was. You don't have to be so damn angsty all the time. But what Lilith is trying to turn you into? That is wrong."

"Bill, please," Sookie said stepping towards him. "If you ever cared about me, or the twins, you won't do this."

"I told you when we first met, vampires often turn on those they love the most," Bill said. He uncorked the bottle of Lilith's blood and drank it. I pulled Sookie away from him as blood started to come out his mouth and ears. Then he exploded just like a vampire would if they had been staked. Sookie began to cry and I hugged her. I looked at the puddle and it suddenly started to move.

"Oh no," I murmured. Bill appeared slowly out of the blood looking very Lilith like.

"Run!"


	27. 27 No Growth Without Change

**LPOV**

The three of us sprinted down the hallway towards the elevators. I didn't look back but I could only assume Bill, or whatever the fuck he had become, was chasing us. Sookie screamed as she tripped and fell into a puddle of vampire goo, Eric and I grabbed either of her arms and lifted her forwards into the waiting elevator. I slammed my finger into button for the ground floor and sighed in relief as the elevator began its ascent. Then suddenly it came to a screeching halt and the light blinked out. "Fuck," I mumbled. Sookie held out her hand and her light came on.

"Can we get out through the top?" Sookie asked.

Eric pulled down part of the lights and started beating on the metal above it. Finally he broke through and made a hole big enough for us to escape. "Lily, I'll push you up first and then you can help pull Sookie up." I nodded and got into position for him to hoist me up into the elevator shaft. He lifted me up and I grabbed the edges and pulled myself out of the elevator. I knelt down by the hole and grabbed Sookie's hands and yanked her up after me. She landed with considerably less grace than I had and stumbled into one of the walls. I turned back to the hole and pulled Eric up. There was an emergency evacuation ladder and I heard Sookie sigh in relief that she wouldn't have to scale the wall.

Sookie started to climb the ladder. Eric rolled his eyes before grabbing us both around the waists and flying us up to the top. "Turn so I can get the door open," I told him and he turned us around. Sookie was clutching onto his arm for dear life and trying not to look down. I dug my fingers between the doors and pushed them aside and we excited.

"What now?" Sookie asked.

"We get the car and find the others," I told her. We hadn't parked too far away from the building so I was a bit nervous to see if our car had already caught fire. Thankfully it was fine, saving us the trouble of hot wiring a car. I hopped into the passenger seat next to Eric, forcing Sookie into the back. We drove around to the front of the building and I looked for our friends. "Is that them, through the smoke?" I asked pointing towards some blobs that appeared to be moving. Eric nodded and drove towards them.

They all got into the car and Jessica leaned into the front towards me. "What about Bill?" I shook my head and she sank back into her seat. I looked out the window though I could feel Eric staring at me.

I noticed Bill coming through the fire. "Look," I said.

"Is that Bill?" Jessica asked.

"Not anymore," Sookie answered as I shook my head.

"Get us the fuck out of here!" Pam yelled at Eric from the back. He turned the SUV around and sped away. I could hear the others arguing in the car but I tuned them out. I didn't want to talk about Bill, but I knew it was stupid to think I could avoid the subject forever. Eventually I would have to confront the fact that my only remaining blood relative, other than Rachel, had turned into an insane super monster. I sighed; I'd have to explain it to Rachel somehow.

The radio changed from music to the news. "The governor has called an urgent press conference; we take you to Baton Rouge for the latest action," a newscaster said over the radio. We all listened as the governor talked about the how Louisiana had welcomed vampires but now it was unsafe to have vampires living among the humans.

"I am instituting a vampire curfew. All vampires must stay underground or indoors at night and furthermore I am closing down all vampire run businesses and institutions," the governor said.

"Can they do that?" I asked Eric.

"Apparently they can," Sookie said.

"It's about damn time someone did something about y'all," Jason said hitting my seat.

"Shut up, Jason," Sookie, Tara and I snapped.

"We did this," Nora said leaning between me and Eric. "We bombed the TruBlood factories, we started this war."

"_We _were not part of that. That was all you and your stupid fucking Vampire Authority," I said.

"Because god forbid you take responsibility for anything you did," she said.

"What _I_ did?" I asked incredulously. "I was a victim in all this shit. In case you forgot I'm a fucking vampire-faerie hybrid thing because of you!"

Pam mumbled something I couldn't hear and Nora turned to her. "Would you shut up about your shit when the world is about to end?"

"I don't know about the world, but I'm about to end your face," Pam said.

"I would say I would help burry the body, but thankfully there won't be one," I said. Eric turned the car sharply and we stopped in an abandoned parking lot.

"Nora, Lily, out now," Eric said. I got out and walked around the front of the car and down the hill, following Nora. After he talked to Pam, Eric followed us. "We need to talk about Bill." He looked us, Nora and I were standing a good fifteen feet away from each other, and groaned. "I thought you two got past this."

"I thought we had," Nora and I both said at the same time.

"I'm sorry for getting upset with you, I know this change has been difficult for you," Nora said.

"Apology accepted," I said. I didn't bother apologizing because in my opinion I hadn't done anything wrong and Nora didn't say anything about it. "Now about Bill?" I said giving the conversation back to Eric.

"Is there anything in the Vampire Bible to explain this?" Eric asked Nora.

"If there was something in there about a resurrection I would know about it. I don't know what's happened to Bill. All it took for me to turn my back on my family and everything I knew was one drop and he drank the whole fucking bottle." She shook her head and took a pause. "If Lilith is walking this Earth in any form we have to destroy her."

"Destroy her?" Jessica repeated walking towards us. "You mean you want to kill Bill." She ran off before anyone could say anything.

"I think you should talk to the brother," Nora told me.

"Jason? Why would I need to talk to Jason?" I asked.

"You know him better than I do, he'll probably be more likely to tell you know what he knows."

"I don't think Jason knows much. Trust me; I went out with him a few times before I realized he had the IQ of a wooden chair."

"If he's so stupid then how does he know about Warlow?" She asked.

"Who's Warlow?" Eric and I asked at the same time. Nora rolled her eyes and walked in between us towards Jason.

I heard a phone ring and Eric pulled my phone out of his pocket. "I found this in the security office. I figured you might want it back."

Caller ID said Rachel was calling and I flipped it open. "Rachel, oh my god!"

"Lily? You aren't dead!" She squealed.

"That depends on your definition of dead," I said.

There was a long pause before she spoke. "You don't mean you're a vampire, do you?"

"To be honest, I don't know what I am. But I'm not human."

"Oh my god," she said quietly. "Where are you?"

"With Eric, we're on our way back to Bon Temps." I glanced to where he'd been standing but he'd joined Nora and the others on the dock.

"Is he your maker?" She asked.

"Yeah," I said.

I heard a release a relieved breath. "Good. Where's Bill?" When I didn't answer right away she panicked. "He isn't dead is he? Oh my god, if he's dead-"

"He's not dead," I assured her. "But we don't know what's happened to him. There's so much you missed, I don't know how to explain it all to you over the phone."

"I might be coming back to Bon Temps soon," she said. "You can tell me then."

"What about Alcide?" I asked.

"He's changed too, everyone is changing." I heard her shuffling the phone and then I could hear her talking to someone else. "Are you feeling better?" The other person answered but I couldn't understand them. Then Rachel was back on the line, "I need to go. I promise we'll catch up soon."

"Alright, Rach, love you."

"Love you too, Lil." I hung up and walked over to Eric and the others.

"Where's Jason?" I asked.

"He's acting real weird," Jessica said. Before I could respond Jess gasped and turned to walk in the other direction.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Bill's summoning me," she said. She kept walking until Eric stepped in front of her and stopped her. She started shaking and then vomited blood on Eric before falling to the ground.

"Please tell me this isn't normal because I do not want that to look forward to in my future," I said.

"It was nice knowing you," Pam said to Jessica. "I hope you agree that this isn't any of our fucking business?" She asked Eric.

"Of course this is our business," Nora said. "Lilith could destroy everything."

"We have to take her to him now," Sookie said. She helped Jess up and to the car. Eric ordered Pam to take Tara back to Fangtasia and then grabbed me for flying off with Nora.

**RPOV**

I put down the phone and looked at Rikki. "Are you sure you're ok?" I asked.

"I just told you, I'm fine. I want to go see what's going on. Don't pretend like you aren't curious too," she said.

"You're right; of course I want to know. Come on let's go." We both got out of the car and walked through the trees towards the clearing. It didn't take us long to find them, they weren't exactly quiet and they had several large fires. When we got through the trees we could see wolves ripping apart a body that I assumed belonged to JD. One of the wolves carried an arm to Alcide who was standing with his dad on the far side of the clearing. "Please tell me he isn't going to eat that."

"That's how a wolf becomes packmaster," Rikki explained.

"But does he have to do it while he's human?" I asked. She didn't say anything but gave me a look that said I wouldn't ever be able to understand her and Alcide's kind. I cringed as Alcide sunk his teeth into JD's flesh.

"The vamp blood will wear off," Martha said coming up next to me. "Power is a more dangerous drug, eats away at a man's decency."

"I don't understand why women are attracted to power," I said. "I've seen what it can do to people. Power makes people less human than any supernatural gift ever could."

Some were bitch shifted back in front of him. I dug my nails into the palm of my hand waiting to see what he would do. Rikki gave me a light push forwards and I walked up next to him and wrapped my arm around his. When the girl didn't leave I reached up and grabbed his face and kissed him. Alcide barely looked at me before shifting and running off with the other wolves.

Rikki walked up next to me and put her hand on my arm. "He loves you, you know that."

"Yeah, well he's sure done a good job of forgetting it right now."

**LPOV**

We landed on Bill's second floor porch. Almost as soon as my feet hit the ground they were knocked out from under me by Bill throwing Nora across the ground and pinning Eric to the support beam. I fell to the ground next to them and backed away from Bill quickly. Bill didn't look insane anymore, no head to toe blood bath, no creepy high pitched squawking, it was just Bill in his signature Henley and black jeans. The only thing wrong with the picture in front of me was that he was choking Eric. I jumped up just as Sookie ran forwards and staked him. I screamed and waited to be drenched in a goo bath but it didn't happen. "Oh my god, you aren't dead."

He pulled the stake out of his chest slowly. "Now can we talk?" He asked. Eric pushed me behind him protectively but I wiggled away from him and stepped closer to Bill. "I wanted you all to see me, I am no monster," Bill said. "I do not wish harm on any of you."

"What are you?" I asked.

He stepped towards me and reached towards my face but I flinched away. "I am Bill Compton. I am still your family. But clearly I am something more."

"If you really mean us no harm you will leave Jessica, and Lily and all of us alone. You'll leave Bon Temps tonight and never come back," Sookie said.

"No," Jess said pushing forwards. "He's staying and so am I." Sookie grabbed Jess's arm but she shook her off. "He's my maker, you will never understand." She turned to me. "You do and you wouldn't want Bill to leave, I know you wouldn't. Family is too important to you; Rachel would feel the same way."

"We should leave," I told Eric.

"What about Bill?" Eric asked.

"Jess and Bill stay, like she said." I grabbed Eric's arm and pulled him towards the door. Sookie and Nora followed us. I met Bill's eyes over my shoulder and then turned back towards the door quickly. I didn't know what Bill was and I didn't think I could handle it right now, so I was putting that in a box to file away later when I had less shit on my plate. I didn't want to lose someone so important to me but I also needed to deal with myself first.

**RPOV**

"If you don't follow him that bitch Danielle is going to," Rikki said.

"I don't know where he went," I said.

"So you're giving up just like that? I thought you loved him? People fight when they love someone," she said. "Follow me." She shifted and looked up at me to see if I was ready to go. I nodded and she took off through the woods making me have to run pretty fast to keep up, thankfully faeries had a bit of extra endurance. Finally I heard something and Rikki seemed to nod at me. I walked forwards and saw the girl from earlier kissing Alcide. I stepped through the bushes and the noise caused them to look up.

"Rachel, I'm sorry," Alcide said.

"It was my fault, I started it," Danielle said. She didn't make a move to step away from him. I wasn't in the mood to deal with her and I reached out with my mind and grabbed the thread that was her emotions and twisted it hard. She fell screaming just like JD had. I held it until I was standing right in front of Alcide. I tangled my fingers in his hair and kissed him hard. That was enough of a distraction to make me lose my hold on Danielle and I could hear her whimpering.

"I don't know how far I can take that, but I'd suggest staying away from him or we might get to find out," I told her. She nodded before shifting and running away.

Alcide smirked. "That wasn't very nice."

"All's fair in love and war," I whispered before kissing him again.

**LPOV**

Eric and I walked Sookie back to her house across the cemetery. "I can give you money to start a new life," Eric told her.

"What's the point? Bill will find me wherever I go," she said.

"There are serious pros and cons to magical GPS blood," I said and Sookie grunted in agreement.

"You staked Bill to save me tonight," Eric said.

She nodded. "Bill isn't the only one who's changed."

"We all have," I finished. "My life is so wildly different from how it was a few years ago. It almost feels like it was yesterday but at the same time it feels like it's been years and years since Rachel and I were living in a quaint little Colorado suburb with mountains and snow, that life was so normal. I never would have expected any of this. Rachel can argue that her life was destined for adventure but really that just meant taking the black diamond tree trails at Buttermilk, she didn't predict this either and she was psychic."

We got up to the steps and Eric pulled out his key. "I got it."

"Do you want it back?" She asked when Eric had gone up to the door. "Normal I mean."

"Sometimes I think I do, but then I remember that yeah this life is hard but it's so worth it. Besides Rachel and our mom I've never been close with anyone, and then I get here and find Bill and you and Eric and Jess. Hell I even love Tara, Pam and your brother even if they're pretty hard to deal with sometimes. None of this is easy but it's the realest thing I've ever felt, as crazy as that sounds."

She was quiet for a moment but then she nodded. We went inside and Eric asked for a pen and paper. "I'm giving you your house back; the deed will be in the mail in the morning." It seemed like ages ago that Eric had bought Sookie's house, so much had happened in such a short amount of time.

"Eric, I want to change my life, I want to be normal again. That's why I'm going to rescind your invitation to my house," Sookie said. She looked at me and smiled. "I want it back, my old life. I know where you're coming from but I want normal. Lily, I rescind your invitation to my house." I didn't say anything as I was slowly pushed out the door next to Eric.

"Wow," I said quietly. I sniffed and realized I had started crying. Sookie and I had been close despite all the times I had gotten pissed at her; she was always there for me no matter what. Now she was kicking me out of her life just like Eric. I reached up and wiped at my face, my fingers came away bloody and I groaned. "Out of all the vamp things to inherit I had to get damn bloody tears."


	28. 28The More You Know The Less You Believe

**LPOV**

When we got back to Fangtasia I could hear screams coming from inside. We ran inside and found Tara lying on the bar screaming while Pam held her hand. "What happened?" Eric asked.

"They shot her and she's not healing!" Pam cried. The three of us joined Pam by Tara's side and Eric looked at her wound.

"Gunshots aren't supposed to glow like that," I mumbled. Eric pulled the hole and started to reach for the bullet, we all flinched as it burned him. "Silver bullet?"

"Silver bullets don't glow," Nora said. She pushed me aside lightly so she could get a better look.

"Lily, hand me something to get this out with," Eric said. I turned towards the bar looking for a knife or anything sharp. Eric reached past me and grabbed a beer bottle and smashed it into the counter. I closed my eyes as he stuck it into Tara's wound to dig out the bullet. Finally she stopped screaming and I peeked. Everyone was staring at the bullet, clearly made out of sliver but also something else.

"It emits UV rays, like those lights in the Authority," I realized.

"Where would humans get something like this?" Eric asked.

"General Cavanaugh said they were developing new weapons," Nora said.

"Shit, Salome was right, killing him was a stupid move," I said.

Pam turned to face us. "You're saying that the three of you basically caused this whole shit storm in the first place?"

"Bill started it, he bombed the TruBlood factories," I informed her. "But we didn't exactly help prevent it."

"If it weren't for you and your cunt of a sister coming into our lives we never would have ended up here. Do you know how much fucking trouble you've gotten us into?" Pam yelled at me.

"The humans have been planning this for years now; it's not something two human girls could have controlled," Nora said to Pam, surprisingly coming to my defense.

"And you and your fucking Authority destroyed everything! They have fucking weapons and they stole all my shit!" Pam yelled turning her attention to Nora. Eric threw the glass he was holding across the room and it shattered against the bar.

"If the humans want war, we'll give them war," Eric said. "Nora, go through the Bible find out what Bill is."

"We've been through this, there isn't anything there," Nora said.

"Try again!" Eric yelled. He grabbed my arm and yanked me out of Fangtasia. As soon as we were in the parking lot I planted my feet and he stopped.

"Do you at least want to fill me in on what the fuck we're going to do? Because I'm about done with being dragged around and tossed into situations I don't want to be in. I'm half dead because you and Bill wouldn't fucking listen to me."

"We're going to see the governor, is that enough of an explanation?" He asked.

"Yes, thank you," I said tersely.

He wrapped an arm around me to prepare for flight. "I'm about done with you using the "I'm a vampire" card to make me feel bad, in case you were wondering. You aren't that upset about it." As we took off I realized he was right, I wasn't upset about being a vampire. I was upset, however, that no one took a moment to check and see if I was keeping up. I knew he was right though, I had to get over it because I didn't have the luxury of adjustment time. We were at war.

OoOoO

We arrived at the Governor's mansion it looked like he was having a party and people were being checked on the guest list. "How are you going to get past them?" I asked.

"I'm going to get a name on that list."

"We could just glamour them," I suggested.

"There are too many of them. It's too dangerous for you, you're staying here," he said. We both heard a man talking on the phone behind us and Eric ran and grabbed him. I sighed as I waited for him to hide the body.

"If I'm not going in, why am I here?" I asked.

"To help me with this disguise. Grab his bag, I'll get his clothes."

I sighed again and started picking up the things the man had dropped. I flipped through his folders and read off the important information. "He's with the fish and wildlife agency, he's got a meeting with the governor to talk about cranes." When I turned around Eric had already changed into the man's clothes.

"How do I look?" He asked.

"Like you're wearing pants that are too short for you, hold on." I knelt down and cut the hem on his pants so they would get a little longer. "If you weren't so tall this would be a whole lot easier, now you just look like you have badly made pants. Let's see, your hair isn't working." I combed it out and flattened it down. I looked down at the body and snatched his glasses off and put them on Eric. "Roll your shoulders forward, walk with a slouch. Smile a lot." He followed my instructions and I laughed. "Perfect."

"Would you still like me if I looked like this all the time?" he joked.

"I don't know you do look pretty adorable," I said laughing. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him quickly. "Now go forth and fly like the whooping crane." I waited in the trees until he was gone and then I followed him. I went around the back of the house where there was less security and I walked up to the door.

The security guard stopped me. "Is there a reason you're coming through the back door and not the front?" He asked.

I glanced at my outfit and then back up at him. I channeled by inner teenage girl. "Clearly I'm not dressed for the occasion and I'm supposed to be helping the governor with his campaign, but I totally forgot until I got a text from our manager. You cannot let me get fired, that would be so rude!"

"Is there someone out here?" A girl asked sticking her head out the door.

"This girl says she's part of your dad's campaign, do you recognize her?" The guard asked.

"Oh yeah, come in. I'll find you something to wear," she grabbed my arm and led me inside and upstairs where she steered me down the hall and into her room. "You're not on my dad's campaign are you?"

"How'd you guess?" I asked.

"I know basically everyone on the team. Don't worry though I'm not going to tell on you. I just wanted a little excitement my dad's been going crazy with all this vampire stuff. I don't even really care, you know? I'm Willa, by the way."

I took this as my opportunity to find out a little more about the governor's plans. "Any idea what your dad has been doing with vampires?"

"I guess you mean besides what he's been advertising to the public? He pretty much keeps me in the dark but I hear he's been studying them. I don't know what all that entails but its pissing off a lot of those activist groups." She paused and looked at me. "You aren't a member of that Vampire Unity Alliance or anything are you?"

"I-" Willa cut me off quickly.

"I'd rather not know actually." Suddenly there was a lot of commotion from down below. "Shit there must be a vampire, dad only freaks out when there's a vampire."

_Lily, stay hidden. I'll meet you in the trees soon. _I heard Eric think at me. I wanted to yell that I was fine and I was being more productive than him. "I should probably go," I told Willa.

"You can't just leave if there's a vampire out there," She said. "You'll have to stay here until morning. I'm not going to let you get eaten, even if I barely know you." I wasn't sure how to explain that I couldn't stay until morning because I was also a vampire without her freaking out, so I just nodded.

**RPOV**

I was drinking a cup of coffee in my kitchen when Martha and Alcide came in. "We're going to Bon Temps to get my granddaughter back," Martha told me. "She's been staying with Sam and Luna."

"Isn't Luna her mom? Is she coming back with us too?" I asked.

"Luna and Sam are shifters, Emma is a werewolf, and she belongs with her pack."

"You're just going to run up in there and steal a little girl from her mom? Excuse me if I'm wrong, but isn't that called kidnapping?" I asked. I glanced at Alcide who hadn't said anything. "You're condoning this?"

"Emma is part of this pack, the pack sticks together," Alcide answered.

"She's a child, Alcide."

"Are you coming with us or not?" He asked. I grabbed my bag and nodded, if anything I might be able to help Luna and if not it was a free ride back home.

Danielle met us outside my house and I tried to refrain from doing something too harsh. She wouldn't meet my eyes and was staying far away from both Alcide and I as we got into Alcide's truck. Good for her at least she isn't stupid, I thought.

The ride to Bon Temps was quiet. Alcide and Martha knew I was pissed and Danielle was too freaked out by what I'd done to her to speak. When we pulled up outside of Sam's trailer I was the first one out though Martha quickly pushed past me. "Where's Emma?" She asked Sam, as he came out of the trailer.

"She's fine, she's inside," Sam told her.

"What about Luna?"

"Luna didn't make it."

"Oh my god, Sam, I'm so sorry," I said. Martha and Alcide both expressed their regrets as well.

"Emma is asleep right now, you should probably come back tomorrow," Sam told us.

Alcide stepped forward. "Look, Luna shifting on TV has put us all in danger of being exposed. They're going to be looking her, Emma too. It's best if she came with us, we're her pack."

"We'll be ok," Sam said.

With Luna out of the picture I had to admit Martha was probably the next best choice to raise her, she was Emma's grandmother after all and they were both weres. "Sam, you know me. I won't let anything bad happen to Emma," I told him.

Lafayette stepped out of the trailer. "Emma wants to stay with Sam," he announced. I bit my lip not wanting this to turn into a huge fight. The more heated the argument got the brighter everyone's threads of emotion shined. I was wrestling the moral problems I had with changing my friends' emotions when Emma ran out of the trailer. I knew everything was about to go to hell when Martha grabbed Emma and Sam started yelling at her. Alcide punched Sam and I grabbed his thread and tried to twist it into something nicer. I realized it was a whole lot easier to make people feel pain that it was to sooth their emotions but I wasn't going to hurt my boyfriend. I got to work calming them down; there were only a few more punches in either way before they both started breathing normally.

In the time that it took me to calm the two of them down though, Martha had gotten Emma into the truck. Sam was too dazed after my intrusion to do anything and Danielle had punched Lafayette hard enough to knock him out. "Let's go, Rachel," Alcide said.

I shook my head. "No, I'm staying here."

"Rachel-" he started.

"Unless you plan on carrying me off kicking and screaming, like Emma, I'm staying right here. I need some time to work out how it's possible that the man I fell in love with has been completely eradicated and turned into someone else. You are not the same man I met in Jackson." He looked like he was going to say something but then he just turned and got into his truck. I watched as they drove away before turning back to Sam. "Are you going to be ok?" I asked.

He nodded. "What did you do?" He asked.

"It's a new trick, comes in handy sometimes. I'm so sorry I couldn't stop them from taking Emma."

"You tried."

My phone rang and I pulled it out to check, to my surprise Jason was calling. "Um, hello?"

"Rach, god I've been calling for an hour. Can you come by Sookie's sometime soon? It's real important."

"I'm actually in Bon Temps right now, I can be over there in fifteen minutes," I told him. "What's going on?"

"Oh you should definitely just come over, because you aren't going to believe me," he said.

"Ok, fine I'm on my way." I hung up and turned back to Sam. "Can you deal with Lafayette?" I asked.

He nodded and pulled his keys out of his pocket and handed them to me. "Here take my car, since your ride is gone."

"Thanks, I'll see you soon."

OoOoO

When I got to Sookie's I ran up and knocked on the door. Jason answered and led me to the living room where Sookie was standing with an old man making light balls in between their hands. "Rach, meet Niall," Jason said.

The man turned and smiled when he saw me. "My daughter."

"Your what?" I asked.

"I told you, you weren't going to believe me. We're cousins! Or wait does that make you my aunt or something? Dude," Jason said. I glanced at Sookie who was shaking her head at Jason.

"Niall is our faerie grandfather," she told me. "According to him he is also your dad."

"My dad is dead," I told them.

"That's what your mother had to say, who would believe her if she told them that he was a faerie?"

"You're saying my mother knew what you were? And so she must have know what Lily and I were, yet she never told us."

"Well that's unfortunate you had to figure it out for yourselves," Niall said frowning. "You mentioned Lily, your twin. Where is she?"

"I don't know, busy being a vampire I would assume."

He frowned again. "That is highly problematic. I was hoping to have both of you to help defeat Warlow."

"Defeat who?" I asked.

"A very old vampire who has always been obsessed with our family. You see our bloodline is royal, I happen to be a faerie king," Niall said like that was a totally normal thing to say.

"In case these two didn't inform you, Lily and I have a whole lot of shit on our schedules right now. We don't really have a spare time slot to stage some battle of epic proportions."

"I should think that your life is a bit more important than whatever else you have planned," he said.

"I'm sorry if I can't just drop everything."

"Stay with us for just a few days, I'm sure I'll be able to make you understand. You are very important."

"Fine, I need a break from my life anyway."

**LPOV**

Willa leant me a night gown and we were both getting ready for bed. We had spent the last few hours talking about her friends and I had to admit I missed the girl talks Rachel and I used to have. Even if I was ok with being less than normal it was nice to have that back for a little while. I kept waiting for Eric to contact me again but he never did, and I couldn't exactly call and explain what was happening with Willa around.

She sat at the vanity and removed her contacts. "God these things are annoying."

"Did you just get contacts or something?"I asked.

"Yeah, well they aren't normal contacts. Dad's making me wear them; they're supposed to keep a vampire from glamouring me. Everyone in my dad's campaign and his guards are getting them."

"Do they really work?" I asked.

"Supposedly, I've never tested them out, but I guess that's one of the things they've been experimenting with on those vampires they've been studying." There was a noise at the window and I glanced up to see Eric hovering outside. He looked as surprised to see me inside as I was to see him outside. Willa stood up and went to close the window and gasped when she noticed him.

"Good evening Miss Burrell," Eric said. "Why don't you invite me in?"

"Of course," she said. "Come in."


	29. 29 Losing the One You Love

**LPOV**

Eric came into the room and noticed me sitting on the bed. "Lily, I told you to wait outside."

"Yeah and clearly I didn't listen."

"Have you gotten anything out of her?" Eric asked me.

"A little bit, things about the experiments."

"What experiments?" He asked.

"Willa can tell you," I told him. Truthfully I wasn't sure how much else she really knew but I didn't want Eric to kill her. "We should take her back to Fangtasia. They'll be looking for you here." He nodded and picked her up. They climbed out the window and I jumped out after them. Eric wrapped an arm around me and took off.

**RPOV**

I sat cross-legged in one of Sookie's living room chairs waiting for something to happen. Jason had gone into the kitchen leaving Niall and I alone. He lay back on the sofa and I stared at the wallpaper. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to say to this faerie that was apparently my father. Lily had told me she had a lot to fill me in on about Bill, who'd basically become like our dad, well now I had lots to tell her about our biological one. I texted Lily, letting her know I needed to talk to her when she had the chance.

Niall sat up quickly. "Warlow," he said. I followed him out of the house and Jason came running out after us. "Keep Sookie in the house," he ordered Jason before grabbing my arm and teleporting us towards the vampire.

"Jason, oh my god!" I heard Sookie yell behind us.

"So much for staying in the house," I mumbled. Niall grabbed my arm again and we teleported back to Sookie and Jason, then quickly inside. Sookie and I sat Jason down on the couch. "Well that was a waste of energy," I said. "At this rate we're never going to catch Warlow."

"Are you alright, Jason?" Sookie asked, ignoring me.

"I'm fine," Jason said. 

I rolled my eyes. "People who faint for no reason are not fine."

"I'm fine, Rach. Ok?"

"Why are you not afraid of Warlow?" Niall asked Sookie.

"I am afraid," she said.

"You should be more afraid, he isn't coming after me."

"I can't remember the last time someone was trying to kill me or someone I cared about. Danger has become my entire life. Rachel and Lily's too for that matter. Speaking of, why isn't Warlow after Rachel? I saw you take her with you. Percentage wise I'm not a halfling but she is. You keep saying our blood is royal but she has more of it. Not to throw you under the bus, Rachel, but honestly."

"The twins were not promised to Warlow, you were," Niall told her. "Now, Rachel and I are going out."

"Where to?" Jason and I asked at the same time.

"We're taking the fight to him."

"I'm not here for epic battles, remember? I'm here to be convinced this is worth my time, since like you said; I'm not the one being targeted. No offense, Sookie."

"I'm trying to convince you," Niall said. "Now come along."

**LPOV**

It was an awkward ride back to the bar as there really wasn't enough room for both Willa and me to be holding on to Eric. I was glad when we landed and I could have my personal space back. We walked into Fangtasia where we found Pam and Tara sitting at the bar. "Where's Nora?" Eric asked.

"Out," Pam said, without giving any further information. "Who the fuck is she?"

"Willa Burrell," I answered.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Pam asked. "You let him do this, Lily? I thought you were the smart twin."

"She has information we need," Eric answered before Pam and I could launch into another fight. "The governor's men won't be far behind, pack up anything you want to take with you. We need to leave as quickly as possible." Tara and Pam just stared at him. "Now!"

They left the room and Eric, Willa and I sat down at one of the tables. "Are you a vampire too then?" Willa asked me. I nodded in response. Eric started to glamour her but she stopped him. "You don't have to glamour me, I'll tell you everything I know. I don't like what my dad is doing any more than you do."

"Lily mentioned something about experiments?" Eric prompted her.

"The vampires that are getting arrested are being taken to this camp to be studied. It's horrible."

"It's how they learned how to make those weapons and the contact lenses," I added. Willa nodded.

"Where is this camp?" Eric asked her.

"I don't know. The only reason I know anything about it is because I've been snooping around. Ask Lily, I told her, my dad keeps me out of most of this shit." Eric bared his fangs, making her jump. "Please don't kill me, don't kill me."

I scanned her mind quickly looking for anything she could be hiding and touched his arm. "She's telling the truth, Eric." Pam and Tara came out of the back with a small box of stuff.

Eric pulled Willa up. "You're coming with us."

"Are you fucking with us?" Tara asked.

Pam stepped In front of Eric. "I'm begging you cut off her head and leave her here for her daddy to find."

"We aren't killing her," I said.

"Then leave her here alive, but do not take her with."

"We have nothing," Eric said. "Everything has been taken from us and we have no way to fight back. All we have is her." Eric handed me a roll of duct tape and I ripped off a piece. I gave Willa an apologetic look before sticking the tape over her mouth.

OoOoO

We arrived at Ginger's fifteen minutes later. When Eric knocked she opened the door in curlers and her underwear. "Look who came a knockin' on my door," she said, leaning in the doorframe in her best attempt to be sexy.

"Invite us in, Ginger," I said pushing into her line of vision.

She frowned. "Come on in, both of you." Eric and I walked into her apartment. "I don't know if I'm into the threesome shit, especially since your girlfriend seems like a bitch." She started to close the door but Pam stopped it with her foot.

"Invite me in," Pam said.

Ginger looked confused but invited her in anyways and then did the same to Tara. Ginger sighed realizing she wasn't going to get to fuck Eric tonight, or probably ever if she was going to be honest with herself. "Who's the human?" She asked.

"Not any concern of yours," Eric said. "Now we will be taking the coffin."

"Why does he get the coffin?" Tara asked.

"Why don't we leave Lily with the girl, since she's so keen on saving her?" Pam asked.

"The girl stays with me as I don't trust you not to kill her and possibly Lily if she gets in the way," Eric said. "Ginger, will you please escort Pam and Tara to your shitty little underground cubby."

Tara and Pam glared at me; to be honest I couldn't blame them. To them I was the spoiled baby vampire who had Eric whipped. Though frankly I just liked to see myself as smart enough to convince him to listen to me, because I tried my hardest not to let my emotions cloud my judgment like Pam did.

"Ok then," Eric said nodding once when no one questioned him. "Let's go."

**RPOV**

Niall and I looked for Warlow the rest of the night but finally the sun came up and I thought it was time to return to Sookie's. Instead Niall took me to a huge empty field. "What are we doing here?" I asked.

"Building our army," he informed me. "Unfortunately, my human grandson and you and I will not be enough to defeat Warlow. We need more faeries."

"But where-" before I could finish my sentence he opened a portal and pulled me through it and into a large nightclub. "Whoa." I glanced around and realized the place wasn't empty simply because it was daytime, it had been ransacked. Chairs and tables had been overturned and there was blood spatter everywhere. "What happened here?"

"Give me your hand," he said insistently.

"Why?" I asked.

"Sookie told me you and your sister didn't know how to use your light, I'm going to show you." I could tell he was trying to remain calm for my benefit, though the scene in front of us did not look promising. He took my hand and guided it over the blood. "Focus on feeling what happened here." After a few moments of nothing he groaned and released me. "I don't have time to teach you what you should already know. Your more unusual gifts will have to protect you until we have a moment to train you." He waved his own hand over the blood, apparently seeing what had happened. I wanted to ask what he was seeing as he moved around the room frantically but he already seemed annoyed with me so I kept my mouth shut. There was a moan from behind one of the tables and we both rushed over to find a man bleeding on the floor.

_Lily? _The man thought.

"I'm her sister," I told him. I wasn't surprised the faerie knew my sister; she had clearly been up to a lot in the time we'd been separated.

"Tell me what happened," Niall commanded him.

_He got in, _the faerie thought to us._ A very powerful vampire, I have no idea how he got in. Please don't leave me like this._

"I won't," Niall said. I didn't know what he was doing until the faerie was reduced to a pile of dust. Niall looked at me. "Is this worth your time yet?"

**LPOV**

Eric, Willa and I had all squeezed into the coffin. It was wide enough for two people but getting the third in required a bit of squishing. I was basically laying on top of Eric with Willa getting the majority of the room to our right. I tried not to be annoyed with her presence since I was the reason she was there. "Mister?" Willa said quietly. She repeated it again a little louder. At first I thought she was going to try to escape but she didn't.

"I'm meant to be dead during the day," Eric said. I wanted to open my eyes but at the same time I didn't want him to realize I wasn't asleep.

"I thought you might want to talk," Willa said.

"Put your tape back on," he told her. That didn't stop her from launching into a story about her mother having an affair with a vampire. This piqued Eric's interest and I felt him shift towards her.

"My mom moved out to California to live with him. He has a bar, kinda like Fangtasia."

"There is only one Fangtasia."

"Totally," she said with a quiet breathy giggle. "I wanted to move out with them you know but my dad-"

"Is this your way of convincing me you don't have a problem with vampires?" Eric asked.

"I guess I'm just trying to distract myself," she said in a tone I quickly identified as faux innocence. "But to answer your question, I do like vampires, very much." She was definitely hitting on my boyfriend while I was right there on top of him. I was suddenly regretting my adamant decision to keep her alive. "You've got the bleeds." There was a quiet moment and I felt her hand on Eric's face since it was so close to mine.

"No," he said. I felt his arm reach out towards her. "Can't let you do that." I wanted to open my eyes and she what she had been about to do. "Now put your tape back on."

Very quietly, quiet enough that Willa's human ears wouldn't be able to hear me I spoke into Eric's ear. "Can we talk?" He didn't tense up, as I would expect a guilty person to do. Maybe he hadn't realized she was coming onto him, though I doubted Eric Northman would ever be that oblivious.

_Tonight_, he thought to me. _You need to rest._

"Fine, but I'm not letting you out of it."

**RPOV**

We left the faerie club and went back into the field. There was a man walking towards us. "Faerie?" I asked Niall. He nodded.

"My name is Ben," he said introducing himself to us. "Is this Thibodaux field right? I heard there was a faerie hiding place near by, I've been looking for it since yesterday."

"It was destroyed by a vampire," Niall told him.

"Is your arm alright?" I asked.

"I was attacked by a vampire, but I'm alright now," he told me. "Were they're any survivors?"

"No," Niall told him. "This vampire I've been hunting, I've chased him across millennia. He is very old and very dangerous and he is after my granddaughter."

"Is this vampire named Warlow?" Ben asked. Niall nodded. "Shit," Ben said dropping to one knee. "Forgive me, I just realized you're Niall Birgant, king of the fae."

"Stand up, son," Niall said.

"And this is?" He asked looking at me.

"My daughter, Rachel Compton," Niall told him.

"Nice to meet you," I said.

"The pleasure is all mine," Ben told me.

"As I was saying, because of a mistake one of my descendants made Warlow believes he is entitled to my granddaughter Sookie."

"Sookie Stackhouse?" Ben asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Of course, everyone knows Sookie."

"She found me after I was attacked and bandaged me up."

"My daughter and I came here in hopes of assembling an army to fight Warlow and we found you. Would you like to repay Sookie's kindness?"

"It'd be an honor," Ben said.

"Let's go."

**LPOV**

As soon as nightfall came I woke Eric up and got out of the coffin. Willa started to get out but I shut the coffin and sat on it. "We need to talk about her."

"What about her?" Eric asked.

"Well the fact that she's developing a thing for you, for starters."

"Are you jealous?"

"I know how you are, Eric. Now that I'm not human any more how am I supposed to know that you aren't going to run off to the next pretty human girl that wants to get in your pants?"

"You don't have to worry about Willa. You may not be human but you are mine and you always will be. Why do you think Pam is acting the way she is?"

"Like a raging bitch you mean?"

"She's jealous that I have another progeny and beyond that she knows that what you and I have goes deeper than that but she will always be my first progeny and my closest friend. Just like her, you are wrong if you ever think anyone could replace you." I wasn't sure if that made me feel any better since clearly he'd grown tired enough of Pam to fall for Rachel and then me. How could I expect to keep his attention for the next century, if we even lived that long?

Ginger came into the room with Eric's phone. "The governor called for you," she told him waving the phone at us. Eric groaned and opened the coffin to get Willa out.

Pam and Tara appeared in the doorway. "Oh how sweet, Eric and his new human. I'd watch out if I were you Lily, you may be new now but if I've learned anything its that Eric always needs a new plaything."

"Pam, now it not the time," Eric said.

"He's got the governor on the phone," Ginger said.

"Tara be a dear and tape Willa's mouth shut for me," Eric said.

"He'll be tracing the call," Willa said as the rest of us left the room. I waited with the others in the living room as Eric talked to the governor on the phone.

Finally he muted it and turned to us. "They're coming."

When we went back into the room where Tara and Willa had been waiting we found no one. "Tara!" Pam yelled flying out the window.

Eric gave Ginger the phone and strict instructions to keep the governor on the line and stall him before grabbing me and flying out the window after Pam.

**RPOV**

I chose not to listen to Niall rehash the story about the club and went to my old room upstairs. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sat it on the bed. There wasn't a single text from Lily or Alcide, though I hadn't been expecting anything really. I was still sitting there when Jason came upstairs. "Hey, you ok?" He asked.

"Yeah, fine. Its just I miss the way things used to be, you know?"

"You mean Lil? Me too."

"You two were friends right?"

"Yeah, we were." He smiled. "One time I took her fishing. You know she almost fell into the lake, I thought she was going to drown or something." He laughed. "I was real mean to your sister the last time I saw her and I want to apologize for that, but who knows when I'll see her again. I was hallucinating that my momma and daddy were there saying a lot of shit about how terrible vampires were and I took it out on Lily and Tara even though I know they're good people."

"I'm sure she would forgive you," I told him. He slid me over on the bed and sat down next to me.

"What about your boyfriend? He's the reason you're here, isn't he?"

I nodded. "Yeah, he is. He's changed a lot since I met him, he became packmaster and the power got to his head. I want to love him, I still do but I don't want to be hurt and he's so so different." I started crying and Jason shifted, I thought was going to leave but instead he put his arm around me and pull me closer so my head was laying in the space between his shoulder and his neck.

"You deserve someone who is gonna treat you right. He's an idiot if he's going to let you go like that but you need to do what's right for you, even if that means leaving somebody you love."

There was a commotion from downstairs and I reached out with my mind. _Warlow is back_, Sookie thought.

"Warlow," I told Jason. We both jumped up and ran down stairs. Before Jason got to the bottom he collapsed and fell down the stairs.

"Jason!" Sookie yelled running back into the house. We both knelt down next to him but he didn't wake up right away this time. "Oh my god."


	30. 30 Between A Rock And A Hard Place

**RPOV**

Ben grabbed Jason and dragged him to the couch in the living room. "I'll call 911," Sookie said running into the kitchen.

I stared at Jason for a moment. I never knew what to do when people were hurt. "I'll go after Niall," I said. I turned and ran towards the door but stopped when I realized that between the vampire's super speed and Niall's teleportation I'd never catch up. I started to return to the living room just in time to see Ben bite his arm and drip blood into Jason's mouth. I clamped my hand over my mouth because I didn't trust myself not to panic and scream or something.

Ben must have heard me anyways because he turned to face me, fangs still out. He moved towards me at vamp speed. "You won't tell Sookie what you saw here," he said.

"You can't glamour me, you should already know that," I told him. "But I won't tell her." I knew I should, this vampire faerie hybrid was most likely Warlow. He had probably killed dozens of faeries in the nightclub and he probably wanted to kill Sookie. But he was half vampire and half faerie, just like Lily, and I wanted to know more about him. More confidently I repeated, "I won't tell her."

Sookie came into the room and Jason sat up on the couch, the vampire blood taking effect. Ben was still staring at me and I mouthed "yet" before walking around him to get a better look at Jason. He did look totally healed, another point for Ben. "I just sat down and he woke up," Ben told Sookie.

She looked at me and I nodded. "Yeah, I guess it wasn't as bad as we thought. I'm glad you're alright, Jason."

Niall entered looking annoyed, an expression I was beginning to learn was almost always on his face. "Did you get her?" Ben asked.

"If you hadn't left, I would have," Niall told him. "Sookie is the one who we need to protect, not her brother."

"I'm sorry, I guess I'll just get out of your way," Ben said. He walked towards the door and Sookie followed him.

I went to Jason and inspected him. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I fell better than ever," he said.

I had no doubt Jason was all right now; I knew how good vampire blood was at fixing otherwise deadly injuries. But we still didn't know what was causing his fainting spells and who's to say that it wouldn't resurface in a few days once the blood wore off. "Ok," I said with a nod.

"Were your worried about me?" He asked grinning.

"Well you did faint on Sookie's rug, do you know how many times she's had to get that replaced? If you died on it we'd both be pissed," I said. I hit him in the arm. "Of course I was worried about you, you big idiot."

He just smiled widely making me laugh, much to Niall's annoyance. I'm sure he just loved the personalities of his three newfound relatives. Sookie acted like she had a stick up her butt, and when I wasn't being extra stubborn I was acting like a child with Jason.

**LPOV**

Eric, Pam and I stopped to find Tara after we were safely away from Ginger's house. Pam summoned her and we waited for quite a while before we showed up. "Where's the girl?" Eric asked.

"You won't find her," Tara said.

"As your maker I-" Pam started but Tara started yelling and covering her ears to block her out.

"Wow, real mature," I said.

Eric jumped on her and pinned her to the ground. "If you aren't going to listen to your maker you will listen to me."

"Get off her, she's mine," Pam said to him.

"Shut up, Pam!" He yelled at her. Pam glared at me like it was my fault. Eric asked again where Willa was and Tara gave him the address.

"You have no right to lay your hands on her," Pam said.

"We'll meet here tomorrow night," he said, ignoring her. He took off, on ground, and I followed him.

**RPOV**

I went to the kitchen and made myself a cup of hot tea and then went up stairs and dug out some old magazines to read before bed. I pulled out an issue of ELLE and Cosmopolitan and tossed them on the bed before changing into my pajamas. Jason appeared in the doorway before I had the chance to get into bed. "Hey, Rach, going to sleep?" He asked.

"I've had a rough couple of days," I told him. "You should get some rest yourself, you did pass out a little bit ago."

"I'm feeling super energized, I'm going to do some pull ups or something. Mind if I stay in here?" I raised an eyebrow and he grabbed the top of the doorframe and pulled himself up. "I'll just be over here."

"I'm about to go to sleep," I said.

"You won't even know I'm here." He dropped and pulled his shirt off. I opened my Cosmo to keep from looking at him. He started reading the headlines from the front of the issue. "Great guy lame sex, 25 ways to have fun with him, bad girl sex: 75 very naughty-"

"Why are you in my room?" I asked.

"Because its clearly annoying you," he said. "Get any tips from that?" he asked.

"Maybe, not that you'll ever find out." I finally looked up and noted for the first time how nice he looked without a shirt. I pointed at the headline on the front of the magazine that read: Feel so confident, you could take over the freaking world! "For your information, this is the article I'm reading."

"You don't need that. I mean you're like Sarah Newlin," he said. I made a face and he backtracked. "You're already kick ass. And you know what you're looking for, Eric was in politics, or whatever vamps call it, and the guy you've been living with is packmaster, right? Obviously your type is men in charge."

"Yeah, and both of those relationships worked out so well for me," I said sarcastically.

"I'm a police officer," he said. "You know, uniform, in charge, whatever."

I laughed. "I don't know if you're hitting on me or trying to distract me from thinking about Alcide."

"Is it working?" He asked.

"Not really, since you brought him up," I said.

"I meant the hitting on you," Jason said.

"I don't know about that one," I said laughing. "Why didn't I hang out with you before? You're fun, I may be thinking about Alcide but I don't even care."

"You were a little distracted before," he reminded me.

"I guess so, to be honest though nothing is ever quiet enough around here for me not to be distracted." I took a sip of my tea and realized it had gone cold. "I'm going to have to make more tea now, thanks a lot." I stood up and walked towards the door. He dropped down and I brushed past him as I left.

"I'm glad you're feeling better," he told me.

"Same to you," I said.

"Night, Rach."

**LPOV**

We reached the fair grounds and Eric finally stopped running. He looked surprised to see me. "You followed me."

"You didn't tell me not to. Plus, if you haven't noticed, Pam and Tara aren't exactly my biggest fans." He nodded and motioned me towards the carousel. "She's still here?"

"Apparently," he said.

She turned and faced us when we approached but spoke only to Eric. "I wanted to talk to you, so I stayed." He sat down in front of her.

"You have my attention." It annoyed me that he found her interesting. I understood Pam's feelings, Eric had said Pam could never be replaced but having an addition to the family is just as hard, because you're no longer the center of attention. Its worse being left on the sidelines than to be kicked out completely, at least then you'd have closure.

"I wanted to say that I hate what my dad is doing and I'm on your side. Also I wanted to ask why you wouldn't let me taste your blood before, in the coffin?" She asked. So that's what I'd missed when my eyes were closed.

"Why did you want to taste it so much?" He asked.

"I think I deserve to," she said. I snorted and she looked at me, as if she hadn't even noticed I was there. I didn't want the girl dead but I wouldn't mind getting her out of my life.

"Do you really want to help me?" Eric asked her. She nodded in response. He stood up and took her hand and helped her off the carousel.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

"Stay here, Lily," he said.

"There is absolutely no way," I said.

He stared at me for a moment, waiting for me to back down. "As your maker I-"

"Don't you dare," I said.

"As your maker I command you to stay quiet and out of my sight, until I tell you otherwise."

I involuntarily moved into the trees. I wanted to scream at him but no words came out when I opened my mouth. He and Willa walked towards the other edge of the fair grounds. I followed them, making sure I was out of sight. He hadn't commanded me to keep _him_ out of _my_ sight, so I was using his wording to my advantage. It didn't take me long to wish that I hadn't.

As soon as he started digging the hole I knew. I had the urge to find Pam and immediately apologize for coming between her and Eric. I couldn't pull myself away, though I wanted to. I watched him help her into the hole and then follow after her. I couldn't see them any more but I could hear them. I could hear her thoughts, she was excited and a little bit terrified and she also really wanted to fuck him.

I wondered if Pam had ever thought about killing Rachel or me, because that was the point I was at. I had never considered myself a jealous person but at that moment the green-eyed monster was certainly rearing her head.

**RPOV**

"Rach," someone said, waking me up. "Rachel. Hey, Rach."

"What?" I groaned. I flipped over and looked up to see Jason in my doorway.

"I need you to kiss me."

"What?" I looked at my clock. "Jason, it's ten fifteen. I just woke up. I haven't had coffee. I was up way too late last night. I am not going to kiss you."

"Come on, Rach." He sat on the edge of my bed.

"I have shitty morning breath," I told him.

"I don't care."

"You are being really weird, what the hell is going on?" I asked.

"I had a dream last night, about Ben."

"_Oh._"I knew why he'd dreamed about Ben, the vampire blood would have messed with his head.

"But I'm not gay, I swear."

"So you want me to kiss you so you can convince yourself your sex dream was a fluke?" I clarified.

"We didn't have sex, we just shaved each other."

I stared at him. "That is incredibly weird."

"I know!"

I didn't have to focus very hard to see his strands. He was freaked out but he was also pretty turned on, whether that was because of the dream or me I couldn't be sure. I smoothed down his frazzled nerves and saw his shoulders relax.

Any other day I would have taken the other half of his strands and fashioned them into something else, but part of me didn't want to send him away. I thought of this as a test. I wanted to fix things with Alcide but maybe, if I rebounded, I would get over him quicker.

Jason pinned me against the headboard and kissed me. "Your morning breath isn't even that bad." I laughed. "But can you brush your teeth before we do that again?"

OoOoO

By the time we finally made it down stairs it was noon. "Crap, I have to be at Merlotte's in less than an hour. I told Sam I'd help him with the bar while I was in town. I guess he's a little short on wait staff."

"What is Merlotte's?" Niall asked. I hadn't realized he was standing there and I jumped.

"Its my former place of work," I explained.

"And helping this Sam is more important than saving Sookie?"

"Keeping a promise I made to my friend is more important than wandering around like lost puppies while we wait for another Warlow sighting."

"See you later, Rach," Jason called after me as I left. Niall was silent.

**LPOV**

I pushed from my poorly dug hole in the ground and out into the night. "Lily, come here," Eric called. "I know you're there."

Reluctantly I stepped out of the trees and into the clearing. "Where's Willa?"

"Gone, I sent her back to her father."

I stared at him a bit skeptically. "You sent a baby vampire to her father, who happens to be killing and torturing vampires as we speak?"

"She is our last hope. If she can convince Governor Burrell that she is no different than she was before, then maybe he will stop."

"He's a psychopath, he's not going to stop. I try to be optimistic, but Eric, you're being delusional."

"We're out of options."


	31. 31 Welcome To The Fun House

**LPOV**

Eric and I returned to the meeting place and waited for Tara in silence. I wasn't upset; I was disappointed with myself more than anything. I knew what I was getting myself into when I kissed Eric months ago, no one was to blame but my own choices.

Tara rushed towards us. "They took Pam," she said panicked. "The vamp cops got her, just now."

Eric and I pushed away from the wall. "They couldn't have gotten far, we could catch them," I said.

"We'd risk dying on the spot," Tara said.

"Then what do we do?"

"Something even more dangerous," Eric said. He ran and Tara and I followed. Not far from where Tara said Pam had been captured, there was a checkpoint. We all stopped and Eric looked at us.

"Are you sure about this?" Tara asked. In response he popped out his fangs, Tara did the same. They stepped towards the cops with their hands up and I reluctantly followed their lead.

"Vamps!" One cop yelled. They all had their guns on us in a second. "Stop right there, vampires!"

"No vampires out after curfew," Another cop told us. They surrounded us and held us in their crossfires. "Don't make any moves."

OoOoO

We were loaded into trucks and restrained with silver cuffs, I flinched when the metal burned into my wrists but it only made it worse. Bags were put over our heads, I guess to keep us from glamouring them. Or maybe they put bags over our heads so they wouldn't have to see how human we looked.

Eventually the truck came to a stop and we were pulled out and led into a building. I could read the thoughts of the men around me, some of them were angry, others were terrified, and a small few regretted what they were doing to us. I wanted to single out the last group and ask for their help, but I couldn't even see them.

They pushed Tara and I one direction and Eric another. "Find Pam," he mumbled as we were separated.

Before I knew it I had been separated from Tara too. The black bag was removed from my head and I stood in front of a sliding door. The door opened to reveal a white circular room.

Three other vampires joined me in the middle, each of them looking just as confused as I felt. The only man moved slowly, but purposefully, to one of four red Xs that I hadn't noticed. The rest of us did the same.

From the ceiling a few balls dropped, I reached out and caught one before it hit the ground and looked it over, half expecting it to explode in my hand. The other two balls bounced before the two other women picked them up. A gun popped out of a hole in the wall and shot the man.

And then there were three. This time when two balls fell from the ceiling we were prepared. In the minds of the other girls I could see them make the split second decision as to which ball they should go for, luckily for me it was the same one. I snatched up a ball and watched as the unlucky vampire was shot.

I wasn't prepared for the sliding doors to open, but thankfully neither was the remaining vampire. I reached the gun before she did and shot her. After a second another door opened and I found an outfit with a number 1 patch sewed onto it. I reluctantly changed into the scrubs and deposited my dirt-covered clothing into a bin.

When I exited the room I was reunited with Tara. From the expression on her face I could tell she'd gone through the same thing I just had. "Welcome to the fun house," I mumbled. "Enjoy your stay."

Tara and I were shoved into a common area with a bunch of other women. We both surveyed the room, I knew she hoped it would be easy to find Pam and we'd be able to spend most of our time figuring out how to get out of here. "She's not in here," I said.

"Nope."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"Who knows."

I looked around the room again, this time inspecting the room. Silver doors lined the walls, like drawers in a morgue; I assumed those were the sleeping arrangements. There were barely enough spots for the people who were currently sitting in this room. Either there were other holding rooms like this one, or we weren't expected to be around for very long. From what I had seen in the white room, I had a feeling it was the latter.

The door that we'd come through was like an airlock. But, instead of keeping oxygen in, it kept the vampires separated from the guards. That door opened and three vampires walked into the room, one I recognized immediately. "Jessica?"

The red head turned surprised and practically threw herself at me. "Lily, thank god." She hugged me tightly and I hugged her back. "They put me in a white room with racquet balls and shot at us."

I nodded. "Us too."

"I almost didn't make it." Jessica was twitching and running her fingers through her hair incessantly.

"Jess, are you ok?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I ate four fairy girls, I'm so fucked up." The other vampires were glancing at us, so Tara moved our conversation to the corner of the room. Jess pulled her knees to her chest and I rubbed her back. "Bill is trying to save us, to save all of the vampires. But what if we don't deserve to be saved?"

"Don't be talking crazy," Tara said.

"I didn't have to kill those girls, but I wanted to." 

"Ok, maybe you did, but fairy blood is like a drug. I've seen it affect vampires first hand," I told her.

She shook her head fiercely. "I'm a horrible person. I deserve to die."

"Jessica, look at me," I instructed her. "Calm down."

She blinked and nodded. "Calm down," she mumbled. Her legs dropped to the floor and she leaned her head against the wall. I sighed in relief and turned to Tara, who nodded approvingly.

Vampires started to line up at a window and get their ration of TruBlood. Tara, Jessica, and I joined them. Tara and I slung ours back. It was watered down but it was better than nothing. "I don't want mine," Jess said, offering us her vial. Suddenly half a dozen vampires were surrounding us.

"Enough!" Someone commanded. The vampires backed down. A tall woman with straight brown hair approached us. "What's wrong with her?" She asked.

"She's fine," Tara and I said at the same time.

The woman shrugged. "I guess this means you owe me."

"Who was that?" Jessica asked when she walked away. Tara and I shrugged.

"I am so over this place," I mumbled.

"Tara? Lily?"

"Willa?" Tara sprinted to the door. Willa was taken down the hall.

"Burrell's daughter is a VIP, she doesn't mix with the likes of you," the guard on the other side said.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Tara asked whirling on me.

I took a step back. "Eric turned her. He wanted to see if Governor Burrell would stop this madness because of Willa. Clearly he was just as delusional as I told him he was."

"That's why the two of you weren't talking when I found you last night." I nodded. "That piece of shit." I wasn't sure if she was talking about Governor Burrell, Eric, or both.

OoOoO

A few hours later the doors opened again and this time only one vampire came in, Willa. Tara rushed to her immediately and I stood up more reluctantly. "Are you ok?" Tara asked her.

Willa nodded. "I'm fine, they haven't hurt me. What about you guys?"

"Nothing yet," Tara told her. She led Willa back to our table. "They have games in here, might as well do something to pass the time. And maybe it'll help us feel like things are normal again." Tara left Willa and I alone.

"Things will never be normal again," I mumbled.

"Lily, are you upset with me?" Willa asked after a moment.

I sighed. "No, Willa, I am not upset with you. I am upset with myself for dragging you into this. If it weren't for me you would have stayed in your room that night and Eric never would have turned you."

"I don't mind being a vampire."

"I'm not upset with myself because I feel bad you're a vampire," I snapped. "If we'd never brought you to Fangtasia, none of this would have happened. But guess what, thanks to you, we're all going to die."

Tara sat down with Connect Four. "This was all that was left. Lost a fight over Life, ironic." She laughed.

"That's fine, I'm going to take a nap, I think the sun is coming up soon anyway," I said, standing up. I didn't get far when there was a sudden churning in my stomach, I turned around and Willa had the same nauseated expression. "That would be our maker summoning us," I said. "What an asshole."

"How do we get to him?" Willa asked.

"Watch and learn, little sis." I walked to the door, the same guard who'd told us about Willa's imprisonment was there.

I leaned against the door and he turned. "Can I help you?"

"I just couldn't help noticing how handsome you are and I'm sure you've helped tons of girls out before. Maybe we could just talk, alone?"

"I'm really not supposed to do this."

"Oh come on." I smiled. "I bet my friend Willa would come along for the ride too, if you know what I mean."

He sighed. "Ok, hold on." He buzzed us out and as soon as we were down the hall I ripped his contacts out before he realized what I was doing. "We're looking for Eric Northman and you are going to help us get to him without getting caught. You'll do whatever it takes to keep us safe. Got it?" He nodded.

"That was so badass!" Willa said.

"Oh, one more lesson. Willa, I'm going to need you to stop thinking about how great it would be to fuck Eric. In fact, the idea doesn't even sound that appealing to you. He's your maker and that's it." She responded with the blank look and double blink I'd become accustom to.

Then she was back, like nothing had ever happened. She covered her mouth and leaned forward. "Let's find Eric before I puke." We walked down the hall, trusting that our gut would lead us to Eric. The guard kept us away from cameras and other guards until we reached a testing room.

"He's in there," I said. Willa nodded. The guard unlocked the door and knocked out the doctor. Eric was in a silver cage with his hands cuffed and hanging above him. Nora was strapped to a slab facing him; it took me a second to recognize her. "Nora? Oh my god, you look like hell."

She tried to laugh but it sounded like she was choking. "I feel like it too."

"What happened to you? What are they doing?"

"Hep V, Hep D's fatal counterpart," Eric informed me as the guard released him from his cage. "They're killing her as punishment for me turning Willa." For the first time I felt actual hatred for the girl, not just jealously or annoyance but full blown loathing. Quickly followed by hatred for myself, I should never have dragged her along with us.

"There has to be a cure or something," I protested.

"If there is one we'll find it. I'll talk to my dad, he'll have to listen to me," Willa said standing up. She had blood on her mouth from where she'd bitten the doctor. The metallic smell of blood made my stomach churn again.

"Don't you think you've done enough?" I asked. I undid the shackles holding Nora onto the slab and she collapsed into my arms. It took her a moment to get her legs back under her. Eric put the doctors coat on her and then changed into our guard friend's uniform.

We headed down the hall. When we passed another person, Eric would point the gun at Willa and me to make it look like we were being taken to testing. "I don't know how much farther I can go," Nora said.

"I'll carry you if I have to," Eric told her.

"We're going to get you out of here," I said.

She smiled at me sadly. "I wish that we had gotten to know each other better when we still had the chance." Nora used the doctor's hand to get through a locked door.

"We're getting out of here as soon as we find Pam," Eric said.

"And Tara and Jessica," Willa and I said. Eric sighed but nodded. We walked through a series of locked doors. Nora leaned on me to stay on her feet.

Eric looked through the window on the next door. "Wait here," he instructed us before disappearing on the other side.

"I'm sorry," I told Nora. "I never apologized for being such a bitch to you. I guess I've always been a little jealous."

"Jealous of me? Oh please, you never needed to be. I can tell there's some tension between you and Eric right now but when this is all over you're going to work things out, promise me." I nodded. "When we were driving back to the Authority after Eric drained you, he was just holding your body and he looked so lost. He told me he would never make another vampire after you."

"That was a lie."

She glanced at Willa. "He would not have made a third vampire unless it was for a damn good reason, I know my brother. And I know you love him enough to forgive him."

The door opened and Eric came back in. "They're putting Hep V in the TruBlood."

"They want to poison all the vampires," Willa said.

"They're sending it to the gen pop vampires right now, you need to go back and tell Pam and Tara not to drink the TruBlood," Eric instructed Willa. He picked up Nora and nodded for me to follow him. "We'll come back for you," he told Willa before we left her.

The three of us walked through the TruBlood factory and out to where they were loading the trucks. We slid under one of the trucks. "Hold up, we need to do a sweep, a vamp escaped," someone called. Eric and I tensed up as someone ran a mirror under the truck.

I reached out and grabbed the man by the ankles and twisted his neck. "All clear!" Eric called out, imitating the man's voice perfectly. The truck driver started the engine and Eric and I latched on to the bottom of the truck. Just like that we were free, but only for the time being.


	32. 31 All Good Things Come To An End

**LPOV**

We made it to Bill's house, it was the first time I'd seen him since Sookie had tried to kill him. It was weird to feel unwelcome in my own home. Bill came to the top of the stairs; he didn't look crazy, he just looked like Bill. I wanted to run into his arms and have him tell me the past few weeks were just a huge nightmare, but I knew they weren't.

Eric stepped forward still clutching Nora. Bill slowly descended the stairs. "I don't know what you are, but I saw Sookie stake you and you survived. If you're really," he paused. "If you're really god, then please save her."

"Bring her upstairs." We went into Rachel's old room and Eric deposited Nora on the bed. "What happened to her?" Bill asked me.

"Governor Burrell's scientists have created a new strain of hepatitis, this one kills vampires," I explained.

"Give her your blood, it's the only way," Eric said.

"No!" Nora said pushing back, suddenly invigorated. "Please, it's Lilith's blood. You can't!"

"She saw what the blood did to us, can you blame her?" Bill asked.

"I don't care," Eric said.

"I won't. This is her dying wish."

"Nora, please, you'll be ok. Just please drink his blood," I begged her.

"I've made peace with this, Lily. You don't have to save me."

"Nora," I mumbled, but didn't know what else to say.

"I'll leave you alone," Bill said.

Eric and I stayed with Nora until the sun came up and she fell asleep. "I'm going to go call Rachel. I haven't talked to her since we got out of the Authority, she's probably worried."

"I'll be here," he told me. I walked across the hall and into my old room. It felt like ages since I'd last stayed here but it still had little touches of me. There was an empty perfume bottle on the shelf, because I thought it was pretty. On my nightstand was a photo of Rachel and me, skis in hand, at Buttermilk Mountain.

I picked up the landline and called her, I'd lost my cell phone at some point. It rang twice before she answered it. "Bill?"

"No, it's me."

"Lily, oh my god. It's so nice to hear your voice." She sighed. "I wish everything could go back to normal."

"I don't even know what normal means anymore," I told her.

"Me either." There was a pause. "Are you ok?"

"Physically, yeah. Eric's sister is dying."

"He has a sister?"

"At least I know he didn't tell you everything."

"Did you know her well?" She asked.

"Not really, when we were around each other we mostly just argued. I wish we hadn't, I wish I'd tried harder. When did I become such a jealous person, Rach? I've never been like this with anyone before Eric. I feel like I am constantly trying to one up everyone around him, because if I don't he won't love me anymore."

"I know that feeling. I thought I was in competition with every girl that walked by. My whole life revolved around becoming everything Eric could ever want. It was exhausting." She groaned.

"He made a new vampire and I hate her. I even went as far as to glamour her to keep her away from Eric," I confessed. "I blame her for everything that's happening. Pam and Tara and Jessica might die because of her. But I'm the reason she got turned in the first place, so really it's my fault. I put myself in this situation and I'm terrified it's eating me alive."

"I hurt a girl because she kissed Alcide and I was proud of doing it. I threatened her because I thought it was the only way to keep him. But then I realized, if I had to hurt people to be with Alcide, I didn't want to be with him."

"You and Alcide broke up?" I asked.

"Yeah. I think it's temporary. At least I hope it is. He changed and not for the better, but I am trying to give him time to come to his senses. I don't want to let him go yet." She paused. "Maybe you should reevaluate your relationship. Do you really want to be with someone you feel the need to constantly impress? You're going to be alive for centuries, maybe millenniums. There will be other guys out there."

I nodded. "You're right, but I think that I need to reevaluate myself before I start cutting ties. I'm not ready to let him go either."

"I love you, Lil. I really hope that things settle down soon. I haven't seen you in ages."

"Yeah, it's been weeks." I heard Eric walk downstairs. "I should go. I love you too, Rach."

I hung up and went to the top of the stairs. Bill and Eric both stood in the foyer. "I saw a white circular room, and in it Pam, Tara, Jessica, Lily, and you meet the sun." I had a feeling I knew exactly what room he'd seen. "That is why I am going to get Warlow right now. He is half-fae, half-vampire, it is his blood that is letting me walk in the sun."

"Tell me what you want from me," Eric said.

"I must bring Warlow here so we can use his blood to save those vampires."

"I will help you, if you help Nora." I was still at the top of the stairs when Eric and Bill came up to go into Rachel's room. Neither of them met my eyes. Nora was still asleep and Eric and Bill sat on either side of her. I wanted to respect Nora's wishes but I also wanted her to live, it was the latter desire that kept me silent as Bill forced her to drink from him.

"I'm sorry, we had to try," Eric told her.

"I know," she said. I moved to sit next to Bill.

"Is it working?" I asked. "Are you feeling any better?"

"I don't think so."

"Then, Warlow's blood," Eric said looking at Bill. "Bring him here, he can help."

"No, his blood can help me walk in the sun, but it will not heal me," Nora said.

"It has to."

"Lily, please, make him see. This is the end for me." She grabbed my hand.

"Bill, bring the blood," Eric said.

Bill stood up. "Alright."

OoOoO

By nightfall Nora was significantly worse, but if she was in pain she didn't let it show. Even on her death bed Nora was beautiful. Eric prayed to Godric and I sat in silence wishing I could go back in time. "When Eric met me I was dying of the plague, it is only fitting that I die just like this," Nora told me. Eric moved back to her bedside. "This time there is no Godric to save me, only you to comfort me."

"Who will comfort me for centuries to come?" He asked. I could see the blood tears brimming.

Nora smiled at him. "You are not alone, brother. Pamela and Lily will be here for you always."

"And Willa," I added.

"Yes, you saw in each of them what you saw in me."

"No one can ever replace this."

Nora clutched my hand. "But they will love you the way you need to be loved. Let them be there for you and you will never loose them." Eric nodded. For a moment he locked eyes with me before we both looked to Nora again. "Lily, I know I told you, but I truly regret not knowing you. You are the kind of person I would have liked to have in my life, and I am so happy Eric will have you." I felt the tears I'd been holding back run down my cheeks.

She looked back at Eric and then closed her eyes. I knew that this was it. "No!" Eric said grabbing her. "Please don't leave me! Please!" He clutched her as she slowly disintegrated into goo. He sat there holding what was left of her and sobbing before he looked up at me. "Lily, she's gone." I slid closer to him and pulled him to my chest and let him cry.

It wasn't long before I heard Bill's footsteps in the hallway. Eric sat up and I turned to face Bill. I wiped the bloody tears from my cheeks. "Did you know this whole time?" I asked. "That she was going to die."

He shook his head. "The visions don't work that way, much like your sister's they come at random and show me only pieces."

"At least Rachel's visions gave us some warning."

"I may not have seen Nora's death, but she knew it was coming." He paused. "We still have a job to do."

Eric stood up. "My sister's blood is still warm and you want me to fight your holy war?" He asked. "You were supposed to bring Warlow here, you were supposed to help her. I do not owe you anything." Eric slowly walked towards Bill.

"Sookie has Warlow, she is bringing him to us. Nora knew Warlow's blood would not help her."

"But we could have tried!"

"Both of you, please," I interjected. "We have to help, if we don't we are risking the lives of every vampire in that camp."

"We have no proof that he is what he says he is," Eric said. "We don't even know if his vision will come true."

"He pulled a stake out of his heart, Eric. What more proof do you need?" I asked skeptically. "A white circular room, does that ring any bells? I'm sure you went through the same things I did, you were there. Are you really willing to risk a few hundred vampires meeting the sun on your pride?"

"You're no fucking god," Eric spat at Bill.

"I never said I was," Bill said. "Get out of my house."

"I'm already gone." Eric took off and I looked at Bill apologetically, before running after him.

When I found Eric, he was standing in the cemetery waving his hand around. "What are you doing?

"Sookie just appeared out of nowhere, from this spot."

"She must have been in the faerie garden," I told him.

"Do you think Warlow is there?"

I shrugged. "I don't keep tabs on Sookie." He batted at the air again. "You're never going to get in there. It's vampire proof."

"Can you get in?"

"Maybe. Probably, yeah. But I don't know how. The only time I've been to the garden was through Sookie, back at that hospital in Jackson." I reached a hand out and searched for the doorway. Suddenly I felt a change in temperature, I pushed the rest of the way into the garden. Inside I saw a man tied to a tombstone. He looked at me, fangs bared. "Warlow?"

"Who are you?"

"You're a vampire, and a faerie," I realized. "Like me."

"You're a hybrid?"

I nodded. "Lily?" Eric called. I quickly stepped back into the real world. "Well?"

"He's here." I bit my lip. "Eric, we should take him back to the other vampires."

"I'm not a hero."

"Then leave him for Bill." He started towards the doorway. "You can't get in without me."

"Then take me to him."

"No, Eric. I know you want to blame someone for Nora's death, but it wasn't Bill's fault. Killing Warlow won't hurt Bill, but it will hurt our friends that are going to meet the sun in that white room."

"Take me in or I'll make you."

"You wouldn't."

"As your maker-"

"If you do this I'll never forgive you." I shook my head. "I don't think you'll forgive yourself either."

"As your maker I command you to take me to Warlow."

I let out a small cry. "Give me your hands." I concentrated and pulled him through the portal. I didn't turn around, but I could hear Warlow trying to fight Eric off. Then the struggling stopped.

After a moment, Eric rejoined me. "Let's go." Once we were out of the garden, Eric asked me, "Are you coming with me?"

"It's almost daylight."

"I have Warlow's blood, I won't burn. You're a faerie, neither will you."

I shook my head. "I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing this for my friends. We're saving them today."


	33. 33 When One Door Closes

**RPOV**

I ran my hand over the black dress I'd chosen to wear to Terry's funeral. I hadn't known him well, but he had always been kind to me. He was one of the few that hadn't treated me like I was some whore after it became public knowledge I was dating a vampire.

I walked across the cemetery towards the plot that belonged to the Bellefleurs. A large group of people had already taken their seats but I was not the only straggler. Arlene was standing in front of the casket and I walked up to her. "I'm sorry for your loss, Arlene. Terry was a really good guy."

She nodded. "He thought you were a lovely girl." To my surprise she gave me a hug. "Thanks for coming." She gave me a sad smiled.

I spotted Sam and wandered over to him and squeezed his arm. "Hey, Rachel." He gave me a half hug. A pretty girl, who I didn't recognized smiled at me. "Oh, this is Nicole."

"Nice to meet you," I told her.

"You too, I've heard a lot about you and your sister."

"Oh, well, hopefully nothing too awful." I gave her a quick mental scan and noticed something odd. I leaned towards Sam and whispered, "Is she pregnant?" He nodded. "Is it yours?" He hesitated but nodded again. Nicole glanced at us and I smiled at her, she turned back to the woman on the other side of her. "Oh my god," I whispered.

"Emma is alright, just so you know," Sam told me. "She's with her grandmother, but they left the pack."

"That's good, I'm glad she's okay." I opened my mouth to ask a question but then stopped myself.

"If you are wondering about Alcide, he's okay too. He isn't packmaster anymore, he actually helped me get Emma back."

"Oh," was all I could think to say.

"He's not a bad guy."

**LPOV**

As the sun came up, I had to admit I was scared. I had seen Warlow and I knew his blood would let vampires walk in the sun. He was a hybrid and so was I. He could walk in the day, and the assumption was that I could to.

When we reached the facility the sun was fully up. I stopped running and stood in the daylight, as Eric killed the guards. Russell had been right I was a day walker. Eric ran into the building and I followed him.

This Eric was a stark contrast from the Eric that I'd last been standing in the daylight with. It wasn't that I missed the Eric that had lost his memories; I just missed the Eric that had been protective and kind. I couldn't help but feel like it was my fault that I had lost him.

Once inside the building I ran straight to gen pop one to free Tara, Jessica, and Pam. I was too fast for the guards and any that tried to stop me were killed before they could. After breaking the neck of the guard outside the door, I used his arm to open the gate. "You're all free to go!" I called to the women inside, they flooded out. None of my friends were among them.

"Lil?" Someone asked. I turned and saw Jason sprawled out on one of the benches.

"Jason?" I rushed to his side. His neck was covered in bite marks. "What the hell happened to you? Why are you here?"

"I came to help," he told me. "I'm real sorry for the way I treated you before. I wasn't myself."

"I know, I could read your mind. You were pretty fucked up."

"So we're cool?"

"Yeah, of course. Do you know where Jessica and Tara are?"

He nodded. "Yeah, they took all the vampires away that knew about the poisoned TruBlood. I'll take you to them." He started to sit up but faltered, I caught him before he could fall off the bench.

"Hold on, let me heal you." I bit my wrist and held it to his mouth. "I guess you've done this a few times, you know how it works."

He sat up. "Yeah, I'll have dreams about you for a little while. The usual." He paused. "That made it sound like I usually have dreams about you, I don't. I mean sometimes I dream about Rachel, she looks like you but-"

I burst out laughing, cutting him off. "Why don't you take me to the others, before you embarrass yourself anymore?"

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

**RPOV**

I spotted Sookie sitting alone with two empty chairs. Sam had started talking to Nicole so I slipped into one of the seats next to Sookie before the service started. "Is one of these for me?" I whispered.

"Yeah," she said. "The other was supposed to be for Jason."

"I haven't seen him in a few days," I told her.

"Yeah, me neither."

"I'm sure he's fine."

"Alcide is here," she informed me. I looked around in surprise and my eyes landed right on him. He looked great, certainly better than the last time I'd seen him. He gave me a half smile and I turned quickly back to Sookie.

The reverend cleared his throat. "Thank you all for gathering today to pay your respects to Terry Bellefleur. He was a great man who loved his family more than anything in this world." He continued on and then invited some of Terry's closest friends and family to speak. I watched as people I knew told stories about how Terry had touched their lives.

Midway through Portia Bellefleur's story about a swing set, I found my mind wandering. I wondered whom in my life I could possibly love as much as these people loved Terry. Certainly Lily, and probably Bill. I would most likely be able to write up something sweet about Sookie too. But truthfully being supernatural hadn't left me much time to be human.

"Arlene needs me to say something," Sookie whispered to me. She stood up and left me alone with two empty seats. "Hi, most of you know me. You've probably figured out that I'm a little different. That's because I'm a telepath."

Alcide sat down in the empty seat to my right. "Are you doing alright?"

"I didn't know Terry that well," I told him.

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

"I want to talk to you, but can it wait until after the service?" I asked. "I'm not going to try and avoid you, I promise." He nodded and we both listened to Sookie's story in silence. She returned to her seat and Arlene took her place at the podium.

I pulled a tissue out of my purse and handed it to Sookie. She took it and blotted at her eyes. "Thanks."

I squeezed her shoulder. "I'm here for you."

**LPOV**

Jason led me into a room with double-sided glass overlooking the white room. Down below I saw Jessica, Tara, Pam, Willa, and a few other vampires I didn't recognize. "How do I get in there?" I asked. Jason pointed to a door and I ran towards it.

"Allow me," Bill said, stepping up behind me. "They will drink my blood and they will walk in the sun as we do." I nodded and he opened the door. I watched as he instructed the other vampires to feed from him.

"That's fucking gross," Jason mumbled.

I shrugged. "Well, if it gets the job done."

"The door is open, why don't they just run?"

"They'd be trapped inside until morning, who knows if anyone called for reinforcements. Plus drama, obviously. Bill would never pass up an opportunity to be the savior."

Eric came in with Ginger, and the psychologist every level one had to meet with. The doors above the room slowly opened and sunlight spilled into the room, but the vampires inside didn't even flinch. "It worked," Jason said. Steve Newlin ran around the edges trying to push his way into the circle of vampires feeding on Bill.

"Watch him," Eric instructed me, leaving the psychologist and heading into the room. He grabbed Steve and pushed him into the sunlight. "Every time someone I loved has died, you have been right there. It is time that ends." Steve struggled but Eric held him firmly in the sunlight until he caught on fire.

Ginger screamed and I plugged my ears. "Jesus Christ, Ginger."

The other vampires reveled in the sunlight, laughing and dancing with each other. I made my way into the room and crouched down next to Bill. One of the women I didn't recognize was holding him. "Is he still alive?" I asked.

She looked at him but didn't say anything for a moment. "Thank you, whoever you are, for the gift of the sun."

"He's my blood," I told her.

"He's your maker?" She asked.

"No, we're family."

"He saved us all." She laid him down softly.

"I know."

"I'm sorry."

The woman left me alone with Bill. I wiped some of the blood from his face. "Please don't die on me, Bill. Not now, not after all of this." I looked into his mind and I saw women that looked like Lilith standing in front of him. "Don't go with them, don't do this to me."

"I'm not going anywhere," he said.

There was a banging on the glass and I looked up to see Jessica. She ran into the room, followed by a man. "Is he dying?"

"I don't know, I don't know what happens when a vampire loses this much blood."

"They're coming for me," he whispered.

"Who is?" Jessica asked.

"Lilith," I explained.

"What do we do?" She asked.

"Feed him," the man suggested.

"Vampire blood doesn't heal other vampires, James," Jessica said.

"It just did," James reminded her. He pulled back his hair to expose his neck.

"Actually, I might be better suited. Since I'm a hybrid." I pulled my hair around to one shoulder and leaned towards him. "Drink, Bill. This better work, otherwise I'm getting Lafayette to summon your sorry ass back here so I can yell at you for leaving me." He sank his fangs into my neck and drank.

After a few moments he stopped. "Did it work?" Jessica asked.

I looked at him. "His color is coming back."

"I am feeling much better," he said. He pushed himself up. Jessica and I both hugged him and he wrapped his arms around both of us.

"Let's go outside," Jessica said.

"I'll follow you," he told her. I helped him to his feet and we walked outside. "I am sorry for everything."

"It wasn't all your fault, Lilith was pretty persuasive."

"I acted like you weren't important to me," he said. "You, your sister, and Jessica are the only things that matter to me."

"Well, you have many years ahead of you to make it up to us," I told him. He smiled and we walked out into the sun. The other vampires smiled and clapped when Bill joined them.

"Come on y'all, let's take this party back to our place!" Jessica said. I watched the celebrating vampires and fell to the back of the pack.

"Where's Eric?" Pam asked me.

I shrugged. "We aren't exactly in a good place right now." She looked around the compound and finally her eyes landed on him. I followed her gaze to the other side of one of the silos.

He met my eyes and I read his mind. "I'm sorry."

I looked away but Pam didn't. "Don't you dare leave me." I didn't have to look back to know he had flown away.

**RPOV**

"Do you want to walk back to the house with me?" I asked Alcide.

"Are you living with Bill again?" He asked.

"No, I'm staying with Sookie actually."

Sam walked up and tapped my shoulder. "We're getting ready to head out. Are you coming by Merlotte's to eat with everyone?"

"No, I think I'm just going to head home. I'd a feel a little out of place."

Sam looked at Alcide before nodding. "Since I'm back in town I don't need you at Merlotte's. You've been a big help."

"Are you sure you don't need someone now that Terry…"

"I think you probably have bigger things on your hands than working at my restaurant." He glanced at Alcide again and then smiled at me. "See you around, Rach." I gave him a hug.

"Hopefully I'll get to know you better," I told Nicole.

She smiled. "I'd love that, I don't know anyone here."

"Ready to go?" I asked Alcide. He nodded and we walked away from the funeral together. For a neither of us said a thing. "So, what happened with your pack?"

"We didn't see things the same way," he told me. "When Rikki found out I let Sam and Nicole live and Emma and Martha leave the pack, she tried to overthrow me."

"So you didn't chose to leave, you were kicked out."

"I chose to do the right thing. I could have killed Rikki and stayed packmaster but I didn't."

"You aren't a killer."

"I screwed up, I know that. But Rachel, you've got to know that isn't who I am. I never wanted to hurt anyone."

"I know. I've just been waiting for you to figure that out." I shook my head. "But it's not you I'm worried about. That girl Danielle, I hurt her because I wanted to and I was glad I did it. It wasn't self-defense it was just mean."

"That's my fault, I never should have put you in a situation where you felt like you had to hurt someone to keep my attention."

"Don't blame yourself for my mistakes."

"Rachel, I love you. I know that I can't change these last few weeks but I will do anything to make them up to you."

I looked at him, really looked at him. In his eyes I could see the truth in his words. Not only that, but I could see the person he thought I was, and that woman was exactly who I was striving to be. I nodded, "I love you too. I don't want this to be the end of us."

He reached into his jacket. "I know this is awful timing, but I'm not sure if there will ever be a right time. I'd been carrying this thing around weeks before everything went to hell. I don't think I can wait any more." He pulled out a small black box. I brought my hand up to cover my gaping mouth. He got down on one knee. "Rachel, you are the best thing that has ever walked into my life and I would be a fool to let you slip away again. I know we're not perfect, but with you I'm the best version of myself. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

I was speechless, completely caught off guard. So I just nodded and offered him my hand shakily. I could feel the tears springing to my eyes, even as I tried to hold them back. He placed the ring on my finger, it was dainty and modest, not the huge jewel I'd imagined as a little girl but I already couldn't imagine my finger without it. He stood up and I threw my arms around him and hugged him tightly. "I'm going to snot all over your nice suit!" I apologized.

He laughed and rubbed my back. "I love you."

I laughed through my tears. "I love you too."


	34. 34 Happily Ever After

**LPOV**

Our little pack of day walking vampires arrived at Bill's and Jessica announced their home was open to everyone. Bill disappeared inside, but I didn't have time to worry about him I was swept up in the excitement of the other day walkers. Tara threw her arm around me shoulder. "Can you believe it? We made it out of that hell hole."

I grinned. "Pretty fucking badass!"

Some of the other vampires ripped off their vamp camp issued uniforms and started burning them. Tara unbuttoned her shirt and added it to the fire with a dramatic flourish. "Fuck all of 'em!"

Past the house and through the trees I caught a glimpse of Rachel. I ran to her, she was hugging Alcide and crying. "Are you ok?" I asked, though I should have known from Alcide's beaming smile nothing was wrong.

"Lily!" She squealed and whirled around. Thankfully I didn't need to breathe anymore, because the hug she gave me would have prevented me from doing so. "I haven't seen you since-"

"Russell escaped, I know. That is insane."

"I missed you so much, I'm so glad you're okay!" She held me at arms length then and looked me over, her eyes still red and puffy from crying. "You are okay aren't you?"

"Pristine. Being a vampire really suits me."

"God, that's still so weird," she said. I popped out my fangs and she didn't even flinch. "_So_ weird." She paused. "It's day light. You're walking in the sun."

"Surprise!"

"So you are a day walker like Warlow, I thought you might be. He's so interesting, crazy as hell, but fascinating."

I shuddered, remembering my encounter with him. "Magical fairy blood remains magical even when you're undead." I shrugged. "Oh but in case you see other day walking vampires, you can thank Bill's weird Lilith blood for them. Or maybe he had some of Warlow's blood, I'm not actually sure."

"Lilith as in Vampire Bible Lilith?" Rachel asked.

"You knew about that?"

"I was bored, Pam had a copy. We need to sit down and recap our lives soon. I have a lot of things to tell you. For one, I met our dad." I stared at her. "He's this crazy fairy king, we're basically royalty. You wouldn't like him; he's very no nonsense. Well actually, he reminds me of you, you both kind of have a stick up your ass."

"How kind of you."

"Well, old you did. I guess that kind of changed when you decided to start dating vampires, huh?"

Alcide laughed. "Is that all the news you have for Lily?"

Her eyes widened and she shoved her hand at me. "We're getting married!"

"You didn't even tell me you two got back together! I talked to you two days ago!" I reprimanded.

She shook her head. "It just happened, all of it. Is that crazy?"

I laughed. "Just the right amount of crazy for you, Rachel. That explains all the tears. Engaged in a cemetery, very original. I like it."

"You'll be my maid of honor right?"

"Rachel, please, if I wasn't your maid of honor, you wouldn't be getting married."

She grinned and hugged me again. "God, I'm so happy right now. I honestly don't know if I've ever been this happy in my entire life. Bill! I need to tell Bill! Is he home?"

"Yeah, but he's had a rough day. You should probably let him get some rest. I'll be sure to tell him you have a surprise."

"Don't spoil it!" She insisted.

"My lips are sealed!" I promised. "I'm going to get back to the other vamps, but it was so good to see both of you. I'm so happy for you!" I hugged Rachel again and then Alcide before running back to the party.

**Four Months Later**

"I'm going to cry again," Rachel said.

"Rachel Caroline Compton, don't you dare cry on me. I just helped you do your eye makeup. If you cry it all off, I will murder you before you get the chance to walk down that aisle."

She giggled and held her hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright, no tears!" She turned back to the mirror and grabbed her head in her hands. "I look like a princess."

"You look stunning," I agreed. Her dress hugged her body down to her legs where it cascaded in layers of lace. It had lace across the top and to her elbows; the lace had subtle beading and tiny sequins arranged in floral shapes that complimented the lace's pattern. Had it been designed any other way it may have looked too conservative, but instead it looked elegant, and the lace let just enough skin show through to keep it sexy. It was exactly the kind of wedding dress Rachel had always pictured herself in.

"Help me put this in my hair?" She asked holding up the large jeweled hair piece that was supposed to fit on the side of her head and keep her hair pulled back into a sleek, over the shoulder, curled ponytail. I stood up and pinned the hairpiece in.

"Perfect."

"Where did Jess and Sookie go?" Rachel asked.

"Last minute preparations. It's a really good thing Sookie knew that guy Quinn, he put this together fast."

"You don't think it was too fast? With the way things go around here, I just couldn't wait."

"If people are going to talk, they're going to talk. There's nothing you can do about that. All I care about is that you and Alcide are happy." She smiled and nodded. I grabbed two tissues and held them under her eyes before she started crying. "Stop! Stop it!"

"We're all ready!" Jessica said, popping her head in the door. She gasped, "Rachel, you look amazing." Sookie stepped in after her and put her hand on her chest. Both Sookie and Jessica wore lilac dresses that mirrored my own, minus some extra beading that mine had.

"Quick, say something funny so she doesn't cry!" I insisted.

"Niall is cursing Bill and sulking because you didn't ask him to walk you down the aisle," Sookie offered.

"I don't even know the man!" Rachel said, suddenly annoyed. "Of course I asked Bill, he may not be my dad but he's a hell of a lot more fatherly."

"Preach," I mumbled. Since Warlow had been dealt with, I had met my biological father, but he wasn't exactly anything to write home about.

"Are you ready?" Jessica asked. Rachel nodded. "Alright then, let's get out there!" We headed downstairs and to the back door.

The front lawn had been decked out with tables and paper lanterns for the reception. Meanwhile, the back lawn was where the actual ceremony would take place. The event planners had spent the last two days hanging twinkle lights from the trees, there were so many lights that the yard glowed. Taking a note from the fairy dimension, everything was decked in purple flowers and ivy, including the arch that framed the priest and Alcide.

I leaned back from the window. "Looks like we're on!"

Rachel let out a nervous squeal and squeezed my hands. "See you out there!"

"Don't trip!" I called as I opened the door. A look of pure terror washed over her and I giggled as I stepped outside right behind Jessica and Sookie.

**RPOV**

"Are you ready?" Bill asked.

"I hope so," I said.

He smiled. "You'll do fine. You look beautiful."

"Thanks, you don't look so bad yourself." He opened the door just as the familiar wedding march came on. I clutched his arm tightly and scanned the crowed, afraid that if I looked at Alcide I would be a blubbering mess before I reached him.

The rows of guests were full of familiar faces. The vampires congregated together, Tara and Willa, and a handful of others who had stuck around after being freed from vamp camp. Arlene and her kids, as well as the rest of the Bellefluers were there. Sam and Nicole smiled at me, Nicole's hand resting on her growing baby bump. Janice and Jackson Herveaux were sitting in front, along with Jackson's new girlfriend. Alcide's sister was on the verge of tears and was beaming at me.

Finally I looked ahead of me. On one side Jessica, Sookie, and Lily smiled at me, and on the other Jessica's new boyfriend James, Jason, and Paul, one of Alcide's old friends from Mississippi stood. Right in between them stood Alcide. After some prodding from me, he had finally chopped off his long hair in favor of a short style, which I definitely approved of. I looked him over, avoiding his eyes, taking in his appearance, before I was practically on top of him and had no choice but to look up.

As soon as I did the tears sprung to my eyes. He looked like he was in awe of me, as if he physically could not tear his eyes away. As much as I tried not to peek, I couldn't help but hear his thoughts; he was practically screaming how amazed he was that this was happening.

Even though I knew he couldn't hear me, and even though I was about to speak the words out loud, I thought very clearly _I love you, Alcide Herveaux._

**Two Months Later**

"Do I have to get up?" I groaned. "It's Sunday!"

"That's exactly why you have to get up," Alcide said. I rolled over and lay my head on his chest.

"You don't look too eager to get up yourself."

"If I could lay here all day, with you in my arms, you know I would."

"You can," I pouted.

"We promised Sam that we'd go out and support him at the town meeting–"

"We don't even live in Bon Temps," I groaned.

"But you told Sam we'd be at church this morning. Get tested for Hep V and all of that."

"I haven't been to church in years, I much prefer the sanctuary of my bedroom."

He laughed. "I'm not going to argue with you on that one. But you do have to get up, just this once." He rolled out of bed and then pulled me out as well.

"I love you, but right now I hate you a tiny bit."

He kissed my forehead. "I'll go make coffee."

OoOoO

After getting our fingers pricked we joined the congregation inside. We sat next to Sookie and Jason, a few minutes later Lily joined us. "You're here too?"

"I told Sam I'd support him, a show of solidarity and all of that."

"Most of these people still don't understand what you are."

She shrugged. "Did you watch Bill's interview on TV last night?"

"I was kind of busy elsewhere," I admitted sheepishly.

Lily shook her head. "The honeymoon stage still hasn't worn off, I suppose?"

"Not at all." I sighed. "If only we could go back to Punta Mita. The beach and the massages and the sunset horseback riding. The lack of Hep V positive vampires was also a plus."

"I bet." Lily shuddered, no doubt remembering Nora's death.

Reverend Daniels took to the podium. "Good morning, everyone." His congregation echoed him. "I don't think this side of the room heard me. I'll try again. Good morning, everyone!"

"Good morning," Lily answered along with at least half of the church's usual congregation. I just grumbled, Alcide smiled and put his arm around my shoulders.

"The reason we both asked our congregations to be with us today was one word, togetherness. Now I'm looking out here, and I'm not seeing a lot of togetherness. So I'm going to wait a minute while you all find another seat." There was a beat. "I'm serious." Everyone stood up and shuffled around. Lily and the Stackhouses disappeared.

Nicole grabbed my wrist. "Sit with me." I nodded and sat next to her across the aisle from where I had been. Alcide put his arm back around me. We listened as the revered explained that we were all there together to show those Hep V positive vampires that we were one unite town, not some low hanging fruit.

"Should've stayed in Punta Mita," I mumbled.

Sam took to the podium and greeted his audience, everyone responded happily. "I'm sure you are all wondering why we had your blood tested. Hepatitis V is deadly only to vampires, but that doesn't mean that a human can't be a carrier. So tonight, at Bellefleur's Bar And Grill, Arlene Bellefleur has agreed to sponsor a social where your results will be waiting for you as well as plenty of free food."

"What's the catch?" A woman called. I tensed, I knew as soon as Sam finished explaining these people were not going to be quite so happy.

"There is a catch, but it is for your safety. I would like to ask every uninfected adult to agree to be in a monogamous feeding relationship with an uninfected vampire-" he was almost completely drowned out by the sudden uproar and people beginning to leave. "In exchange for their protection. I want you to talk with your reverends and your friends about this, but I think it will really be in your best interests to agree. Every human needs a vampire and every vampire needs a human. I hope to see all of y'all tonight."

OoOoO

There was a surprisingly decent turn out to the social. James's band was playing, there was alligator on the grill, as well as hamburgers and other things a normal northern girl, like myself, would actually eat. Alcide and I got our results; we were both clean.

"I don't need to stay long, it's not like I need to mingle with the vampires. I'll feed Lily, if she's even eating."

"What's her deal?"

"Something about blood making her sick, she was drinking uninfected TruBlood that Bill had in the cellar, but she's probably run out by now."

"So what, she's starving herself?"

I shrugged. "She doesn't seem to be suffering. Unless Bill has someone else, I guess I'll take care of him too."

"I can get one of them, if you need me to," Alcide offered.

"Werewolf blood tastes awful to vampires, I doubt either of them would be interested."

"Well, can't say I'm disappointed by that."

I laughed. "Let's get some barbeque, I'm starved." He weaved his fingers through mine and walked with me towards the party.


	35. 35 A Pale Horse Named Death

**LPOV**

I was just beginning to think it was time to head home when the Hep V vampires attacked. The social erupted into complete chaos, humans were screaming and running and healthy vampires were fighting infected vampires. A vampire approached me looking confused. "You aren't a human, but you aren't a vampire either," he said.

"I'm vampire enough to kick your sorry ass," I said. I attacked him and with a branch from a fallen tree I staked him. I stood up covered in goo and looked around. "Rachel! Sookie!" I called.

"Lily, help!" I turned to see Willa fighting off an infected vampire, who was trying to attack a group of humans that she was shielding. Willa and I were still not the best of friends, but without Eric in between us, tolerating her had become a lot easier.

I attacked the vampire and pushed her away from Willa. "Get those humans out of here!" I told her. I fought the vampire until there was a sharp whistle and she, as well as all the other infected vampires, disappeared as quickly as they had arrived.

I looked around at the scene; there were a couple of dead humans and lots of piles of goo, it was impossible to tell whether they had been infected vampires or not. I saw Rachel standing alone and I ran to her. "Are you okay? Where's Alcide."

"I'm fine, he's okay. He ran after Sam. Those vamps took Nicole."

"Oh my god."

"They took Holly and Arlene, too," Jason told us. There was a loud strangled cry, followed by a few shorter ones. We turned towards it. Sookie approached the car and we followed behind her.

Lettie Mae Daniels, Tara's mother, knelt on the ground in a pile of goo. "They killed her, they killed my Tara."

OoOoO

We managed to get everyone inside so we could treat injuries and regroup. I had set Rachel up at the bar with Lafayette and they were talking quietly and drinking heavily. Alcide and Sam came back inside and I quickly joined them, Bill, and Andy. "Any luck?" I asked.

Sam shook his head. "No, we lost their scent."

"They'll be nesting," Bill noted. "They'll go for abandoned buildings to sleep in during the day."

"Jason, you take Violet and check out the old Reeve's place, I'll go to the slaughterhouse," Andy instructed.

"I'll come with you," Bill told him.

"Like hell you will," Andy argued.

"We need to get these people home safe," Sam said.

"I can help pair the vampires with a human to protect," I offered. Sam nodded and motioned for me to follow him.

**RPOV**

I sat at the bar with Lafayette drinking straight out of a bottle of whisky he'd handed me. "I didn't even want to come to this stupid social," I mumbled.

"I'm surprised you aren't the number one supporter of Sam's plan."

I rolled my eyes. "It's not that I don't like the plan, it's a good idea. It's just that I don't even know why I'm still here, Lala."

"I've been asking myself the same damn question." He shook his head. "But me, I grew up in this dump. You don't belong here, you never have. You should take your man and run before one of you turns up dead."

"In what world do you get to leave the ring and declare victory?" I asked dryly.

Lafayette shook his head. "Sugar, don't make this your fight. Run before it all comes crashing down."

I looked around. "Looks to me like it's already crashed."

"Not for you, not yet."

Alcide came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Let's get you home."

"Take my advice, Rayray."

I stood up and let Alcide lead me out to his truck. We didn't talk the entire way back to our apartment. When we got to our room he finally spoke, "You ok?"

"Tara's dead and they took Nicole." I shook my head. "I wish I could take Lafayette's advice. I wish I could leave. But then who takes care of Sookie, and Jason, and Jessica, and everyone else?"

"They aren't your responsibility."

"I know, and I can't even help them. I'm just a stupid human! I can't save anyone."

"You need some rest, you'll feel better in the morning."

"Will I? Because Tara is still going to be dead and those Hep V vamps are still going to be hunting us."

"I can't promise you it's all going to be okay, but I will be here for you. If you want to go, we'll go."

"When this is all over, when Holly and Arlene and Nicole are back, I want to leave. Can we do that?"

"Sure, we can go anywhere you want."

"New York, or London, or somewhere else completely different. A city where we can be anonymous and we don't have to worry about people knowing every single damn thing that happens in our life. I want a clean slate."

"Then let's find those fangers and start our new life."

OoOoO

The following morning we met everyone at the church again. We were late, due to me dragging my feet as I did every morning. Andy, Jason, Sam, and Sookie were talking in hushed voices away from the rest of the parishioners. Lily appeared by my side and I jumped, six months later and I still wasn't used to my sister being a vampire. "Good, you're just in time."

"For what?" I asked. I stifled a yawn, whishing I hadn't passed up Alcide's offer of a second cup of coffee that morning. I hadn't exactly slept peacefully the night before.

"Sookie found a dead girl in the woods."

"Someone we know?" I asked.

Lily shook her head. "No, that's the thing. Sook said she's never seen her before. We were hoping to track down where she's from; maybe these new vamps came from the same town. You didn't recognize any of them did you?"

I thought for a moment, and then shook my head. "No, I don't think so."

"We're going to take a look at the body, maybe she's got some ID or something."

I frowned. "I don't think I can handle seeing another body so soon after last night, is it okay if I sit this one out?"

Lily nodded. "Sure, I'll give you a call when we find out where she's from."

"Yeah." I turned to Alcide. "Can we…" I searched my mind for something I needed to do other than go home and wait.

"Let's drive back to Shreveport and get some breakfast," Alcide suggest. To Lily he said, "We'll catch up with you all later."

"Drink some coffee, I can tell you need it," Lily said. Her grin obviously forced.

"Will do," I mumbled. I let Alcide put his arm around my waist and lead me back to his truck.

**LPOV**

Without Rachel and Alcide, our group drove out to the woods where Sookie had seen the body. Andy grumbled on the way about dead ends, and Jason talked animatedly in an attempt to lighten the mood. When we reached the woods we all piled out and Sookie led us to the girl. "There she is."

Jason knelt down next to her. "Animals got to her," he said, picking up her hand, which had clearly been gnawed on. As my stomach churned, I was very glad Alcide had taken Rachel home.

"I hate to be morbid, but does she have any fingerprints left?" Sookie asked.

"Don't need 'em." Jason reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet, he presented a card to Andy triumphantly.

Andy looked at it and rolled his eyes. "This is a Starbucks card." Jason quickly pulled out the girls ID and handed it to Andy. "Mary Beth, from Saint Alice."

"That's just a few towns over," Sookie said.

"I'll call their sheriff," Andy said. He stepped away, dialing on his phone. After a moment he sighed. "No answer."

"Guess we're taking a road trip to Saint Alice."

As we returned to our cars, I considered not calling Rachel. She was obviously not in any condition to be out in the field with us, but I knew she'd be upset if I left her out of this. Plus, having Alcide around might come in handy.

She answered on the first ring. "Find anything?"

"Yeah, we're going to drive out to Saint Alice and see what's going on," I told her.

"You think the Hep V vampires are nesting there?" She asked.

"I don't know, but that's where the dead girl was from. You don't have to come with us, I just thought I should let you know."

"That's only like…" I heard her mumble something to Alcide and the she returned to the phone. "Five minutes away. We'll meet you guys there."

"Alright."

OoOoO

Saint Alice was a ghost town. As we drove down the main street, we didn't encounter a single person. What we did find was grim, boarded up shops with spray paint graffiti reading "HELP US" and "LEAVE US IN PEACE." We stopped the cars and got out slowly. I walked down the street reading the desperate cries written on every building.

I heard another car pull up and turned to see Alcide and Rachel getting out. Rachel stopped in front of the church and read the words written on the side of the building. Alcide put an arm around her.

"Guys!" Sookie called. We all made our way to her at various paces. Behind the hardware store, in an empty lot, was a giant hole. I knew from the smell what I would find when I got closer, but I couldn't help myself. Piled on top of each other, in a hole the size of a city block, were hundreds of bodies. I turned and put my arm out to stop Rachel from getting anywhere near it. "They killed or took everyone."

Andy shook his head. "Let's go to Mary Beth's house, maybe there's something there." He didn't sound hopeful.

**RPOV**

The whole town felt like death. It was as if the ghosts of these poor people had left their emotional threads of terror, and despair behind and they had tangled the town in a net of desolation. We went into the home of the dead woman and the house didn't feel any different. "This is her," Sookie said.

We walked into the kitchen where a pizza dinner was still laid out. "How long do you think they were here?" Lily asked.

"Hard to say," Andy said.

Jason bit into a piece of pizza. "Two and a half days ago."

"So this was one of the last towns to be hit before they turned to Bon Temps," Sookie said. "Why would they stay here?"

"Sometimes it doesn't feel like you have a choice," I mumbled.

"Let's spread out and see if we can find anything," Sam instructed. I followed Sam and Sookie upstairs, Alcide right behind me. Lily stayed on the ground floor with Andy and Jason.

"That is two day old pizza, Jason, put it down," I heard her reprimand.

Sookie and Sam walked into one room and I walked into another. It was a nursery and there was a crib in the corner. I walked towards it, empty of course. "Everyone is dead, even the kid." I shook my head, trying not to hold back the tears that had been threatening to spill since I'd gotten into town. "I can't even blame those vampires, you know? They're sick. They didn't ask for this either."

Alcide put his hand on my shoulder and I turned around and hugged him, pressing my head against his chest and finally breaking down. "We aren't going to let this happen to Bon Temps."

"But it's not just Bon Temps, it's everywhere. Hep V is everywhere. We can't stop this and we can't outrun it either."

"Then we fight it."

"It'll be sundown soon, we should get going," Sam said from the doorway.


	36. 36 Things Fall Apart

**LPOV**

My phone rang waking me from my deathlike all day nap. I had to check caller ID twice, I was so surprised to see the name pop up. "Pam?"

"I found him," she said.

For a moment I was too shocked to say anything. "After all this time?"

"Yeah, he didn't make it easy. He was laying up in the French countryside, having a relaxing holiday."

"Why France?"

She laughed, softly. "Let's just say your sister wasn't the first human girl that Eric loved." She was quiet for a moment. "Well? Do you want to talk to him or not?"

"Oh," I said surprised. "Does he want to talk to me?"

"Eric doesn't really want to talk to anyone, but I'm asking you because you're the one that sent him packing."

"Yeah, okay." In the months since I'd last seen Eric I had calmed down significantly. We'd all been desperate; these were desperate times we were living in.

"Lily," Eric said. He sounded different, but at first I didn't realize why. "It's been a while."

"You missed Rachel's wedding." It was the first thing that came to mind and I just blurted it out.

"She married the werewolf? Good for her. I bet it was beautiful, she wouldn't have had it any other way." He laughed and it turned into a cough. That was when I knew.

"You're sick, aren't you?" I asked it as a question, not because I needed confirmation, but because I didn't want to be right.

"Yes, Lily, I am."

If I had still been harboring any negative feelings towards him they would have been washed away by the resignation in his voice. "How long?"

"About a month. Vampires are living longer with the disease now, unfortunately." I remembered how quickly Nora had progressed. My phone buzzed with a text message, but I ignored it.

"That's not a bad thing," I argued.

"You wouldn't say that if you were the one with the disease."

"Maybe they'll find a cure before…" I trailed off, unable to complete the sentence.

"There isn't going to be a cure, Lily."

"You don't know that," I protested. My phone buzzed again. "You're Eric Northman, you don't just roll over and let life fuck you in the ass. Where are you? I'm on my way."

"Don't bother, Lily."

"Give the phone back to, Pam."

"We're flying into Baton Rouge," he told me. "Sarah Newlin is still alive, we're going to find her, and then we're going to make sure the job finally gets done correctly."

"I'm coming with you."

"I had a feeling you might say that."

There was a shuffling as the phone changed hands. "I'll text you when we land," Pam said hanging up. I looked at my phone to see I had received three text messages and a phone call from Jason.

I called back. "What is it?" I asked.

"Have you talked to Sookie?" He asked.

"Not since we got back from Saint Alice, why?"

"I've been trying to call her for an hour, I drove over to her place and she isn't here. It's dark out, the Hep V vamps could have gotten her."

"Have you called everyone else?" I asked.

"Yeah. Rachel and Alcide are on their way back from Shreveport now. Me and Violet are on our way to pick you up, alright?"

"Yeah, okay, I'll see you in a few."

It was barely ten minutes later when Jason honked the horn from outside. "Violet says they're close by, she already went after them." I nodded and took off into the woods; I could hear voices and quickly those voices turned into shouts. I ran into the clearing and found the Hep V vampires and Sookie. Bill was being held in silver by one of the vampires but before I could get to him Alcide and Sam had attacked it. I ran to Sookie instead and threw off the vampire that was holding her; the man was caught off guard giving me the upper hand. I wrestled him to the ground and suddenly he exploded into goo under me, I looked up to see Rachel pointing a gun in my direction.

"I had that," I told her. She shrugged. I turned to see Sookie, who was standing in the middle of several piles of goo, drenched in vampire blood.

"Did you swallow any blood?" I asked. She shook her head. "Someone wash her up!" Violet grabbed Sookie and pulled her into the river.

I turned to Bill. "Did you bring her out here?" I asked.

"It was her idea."

"Bill, you're smarter than that! You know what's good for her."

"I couldn't have stopped her, she was safer with me than coming out here alone."

"Like hell you couldn't have stopped her," Alcide said. He had shifted back and was standing naked in front of us. "She could have died!"

There was a gunshot surprising all of us. Followed by two more. I searched the trees looking for the shooter. "Over there!" Jason yelled, he and Andy shot into the trees and I started towards them.

**RPOV**

I was torn between yelling at Bill and running to hug Sookie, so instead I just stood there somewhere in the middle. A gunshot startled me out of my thoughts. At first I looked towards the shooter, but then when the second shot was fired I followed it to its target. There was a moment where time froze, and then Alcide collapsed.

"Alcide!" I screamed. I ran towards him and all but tripped as I threw myself onto the ground next to him. I barely heard the ensuing gunshots as I dug my fingernails into Alcide's arms, as if that would possibly wake him up. "No! No, no!"

I knew the others were standing behind me, I could feel their eyes on my back. I heard Sookie's gasp as she rushed towards me from the river. My ears were ringing from the sound and nothing else really registered. I shook Alcide's body, I knew he was gone, but I couldn't help it. Finally I let out a sob and collapsed onto his chest. I hugged him tightly. "We were supposed to start over."

I felt hands on my arms and Lily slowly pulled me off of Alcide and into her arms. She hugged me as I continued to sob and I squeezed her arms. Jessica knelt beside us and she softly touched my shoulder. "I could," she glanced at Bill, "one of us could turn him."

For a moment I considered it. I wanted him back, I didn't even want to believe he was gone, but I knew that he would never want to become a vampire. He would endure it for me, but what kind of life would that be? I shook my head. "No, I can't do that."

"I'm sorry," Jessica whispered.

"He'd forgive you," Lily said. I could hear how distraught she was, how upset she was, not just for me, but also for herself. I wasn't the only one who had lost someone important to them. I looked up at Sookie who was crying silently, her hand over her mouth.

"I know he would, but you know that I can't do it."

"I know," she said. I felt a sob shake her body, but she didn't make a sound as red tears sprung to her eyes. She kissed the side of my head and started to stand up, I could tell she didn't want to cry in front of me.

But I wasn't quite ready to let go of her arms. "I hadn't got the chance to tell him. I knew that if I did, he would have wanted to leave right away. He would have wanted to protect me." I laughed and it turned into another sob. "It wasn't me who needed to be protected."

"Tell him what?" Lily asked, one of the red bloody tears leaving a trail down her cheek as it fell.

I was quiet for a moment, trying to stop myself from crying so I wouldn't garble the words. "I'm pregnant."

OoOoO

The next morning I sat at the sheriff station in the morgue. Lily was right beside me, holding my hand as she had been since we'd gotten here in the middle of the night. "I should call Jackson," I told her. "He needs to know."

"You want me to do it?" She asked.

I shook my head. "He should hear it from me." She nodded let go of my hand. I walked over to the phone on the wall and dialed Jackson's number.

"Hello?" Jenny answered.

"It's Rachel. Can I talk to Jackson?"

"Of course, honey. Hold on."

There was a moment of silence as Mr. Herveaux got the phone. "How's my favorite daughter-in-law?"

"Um, I don't know how to say this. Alcide is gone." I swallowed. "He was shot last night."

There was a long silence, all I could hear was Jackson's breathing. Finally he took a deep breath. "I'm still here."

"I, um, I'm going to stay in Bon Temps for a few days. I don't think I'm ready to go back to our house in Shreveport yet. When do you think you'll be able to make it down?"

"Jenny and I have some loose ends to tie up and then we'll hit the road."

"Don't try to come here at night."

"I won't."

"I'll see you in a few days."

"Wait, Rachel, you know Alcide didn't talk to me much after the two of you left Mississippi, but I know he loved the fuck out of you."

"I loved him too." I hung up slowly. Lily was staring at the wall; she barely looked up at me. I didn't know if it was Alcide's death, or the vampire attacks, or something else but she had almost completely shut down.

Jason stood just outside the door, on the phone with Hoyt Fortenberry, who's mother had been killed the night before as well. He hung up, on the verge of tears. It felt like ages ago that Jessica had confessed to me that she was sleeping with Jason while still dating Hoyt. After he'd found out, he had asked her to glamour him into forgetting them, and then he'd moved off to Alaska. "You okay?" I asked Jason.

He shook his head. "How'd you pull yourself together?"

"Do I looked pulled together? That's good to know, because I am definitely not. I want to go home and burry in my bed and cry myself to sleep and pretend like when I wake up Alcide is going to be there. But Nicole and Arlene are still missing, and there are still crazed Hep V vampires that are probably going to attack this town again tonight, and if I break down now people are going to die. Andy is with Holly, so that leaves you in charge. People are looking to you and you have to pull yourself together too."

Sookie and Sam came into the room. "Ready to go talk to Holly?" Sookie asked Jason.

"Not really," he said. She grabbed his arm and led him into the hall.

I returned to Lily. "Let's go home."

"Where's home now?"

"Bill's?" I offered. She shrugged and followed me. We drove in silence and when we got inside I decided I couldn't take it anymore. "If you think you're doing me some favor by letting me drown myself in my own miserable thoughts, you really aren't."

"Eric's dying."

"What? How do you know?"

"Pam called yesterday, just before everything happened last night. She found him in France. He's been infected."

"I'm sorry," I said stunned. Eric and I, while we had our fair share of disagreements, had never been on bad terms with each other.

"I shouldn't even care, I suppose. I broke up with him." She shrugged.

"I know you were upset with him, but that doesn't mean you don't still love him. Hell, Alcide and I broke up twice before we got married. Forgiveness is a virtue."

"One that us Compton women might be a little too good at," she said wryly. She shook her head. "It doesn't matter if I love him, he'll be dead in a month."

"Then don't waste what time you have left with him. Tell him that you forgive him, tell him you still love him. Take it from me, you don't want to regret the things you never told him."

"They're going after Sarah Newlin, apparently she's still alive. But if you need me here I won't go."

"No, you should go. Don't worry about me."


	37. 37 Reunion

**LPOV**

Later that day Sookie stopped by to tell us that Holly had remembered where she had been for the last couple of days, Fangtasia. A plan was put into place to rescue Nicole and Arlene at sundown. I was going to go with them and then head to Baton Rouge as soon as the infected vampires were dealt with.

That night everyone met up at Bill's to prepare for the attack. Unfortunately hardly anyone showed up. "How many of these vampires are we up against?" Violet asked.

"Fifteen, maybe more," Sookie said.

"And this is all the help we have?" I asked looking around the room. "Seven vampires, a shifter, two telepaths, and a human?"

"We called every uninfected vampire we know, and the only ones that responded were Michael and Keith," Bill explained.

"Keith's my drummer," James said. "Bass and guitar bailed."

"I still haven't heard back from Willa," Jessica added. I fought back an eye roll; leave it to Willa to flake out when we needed her most.

"This is our group," Bill said.

There was a knock at the door and I reached out with my mind, I knew immediately who it was and Rachel and I shared a look. Bill went to the door. I followed him. Bill opened it and I got my first glimpse at Eric in six months. My eyes landed on the black veins that peeked out from the top of his shirt, inching towards his neck. I met his eyes and stepped towards him. "I thought I was meeting you in Baton Rouge."

"Aren't you happy to see me?"

I looked away, afraid that if I didn't I'd finally break down completely. As if he knew, he stepped through the doorway and hugged me. I didn't need to hear the apology, but with my guard down I heard the words flicker through his mind. "I'm sorry, too."

I didn't want to let go of him, but I knew there were more important things at hand. Sookie and Rachel had both joined us in the foyer. Rachel made a very pointed effort to not look at his black veins, but Sookie gasped when she saw them. "How far along are you?"

"A month, but I'm still in stage one," he told her.

Pam sighed. "What about Willa? We came here for Willa."

"Of course." He closed his eyes, obviously summoning her.

"The rest of us will get ready to go," Bill told me. "We're ready when you are." He motioned for the others to follow him outside, only Rachel and Sookie stayed behind.

"You knew he was dying?" Sookie asked me.

"She only just told me," Rachel said. "She found out right before Alcide…"

Eric looked at her concerned. "What happened?"

Rachel shrugged, but I could see her eyes were brimming with tears. "He died last night." In a surprising gesture, Eric hugged Rachel. She let out a single sob but then stopped.

"Too strong for your own good," he murmured, too quiet for Sookie to hear, but my vampire hearing picked it up. Rachel stepped back and wiped her eyes. Sookie put a hand on her arm.

"What kind of trouble have you gotten yourselves into?" He asked us.

"A pack of infected vampires have been attacking town," Sookie told him.

The doors flung open and a very pissed off Willa stood in the doorway. "What do you want?" Before he could answer, she continued. "You know I wasn't even two weeks old when you left me?"

As much as I disliked her, she did have a reason to be upset with him. "Yes, I know, and we will talk about that later."

"If you want my help, we are going to talk about this right now!"

"As your maker, I command you, _later_." Willa frowned. I sympathized with the pain of being forced to do something against your will just because someone commanded you to. We joined the others outside. "Jesus, that took ages," Pam grumbled.

"I understand you are vastly outnumbered," Eric said to Bill.

"We're going?" Pam asked.

"We're going," Eric confirmed. Pam groaned but got in the car with us.

OoOoO

When we returned to Fangtasia I had a pang of nostalgia, from the look on Rachel's face she was having the same thought. I supposed she had more reason to look at the place fondly; I had never been to the bar for fun I'd always been there when shit was hitting the fan.

We went into the back alley, where Eric had explained there was an old tunnel that ran into the basement. We sent Sam in, as a rat, though the grate to make sure everyone was all right. When he returned Eric began to punch a hole through the wall, but, thanks to his weakened state, it was a slow process. "Save your strength." I pushed him lightly aside and punched the wall, the bricks crumbled.

He started towards the hole, but Pam held him back. "Lily's right, you need to save your strength. I'll go with Bill." Eric didn't look thrilled about it, but Pam and Bill disappeared into the tunnel. We waited tensely for them to return. Nicole and Jane Bodehouse emerged from the tunnel followed by Pam.

"Where's Arlene?" Sookie asked.

"Upstairs," Nicole said.

"Bill went after her, we need to get inside," Pam said.

"I'm infected, they'll let me in," Eric said. "Rachel can come with me."

"I'll go instead," Sookie said. "Rachel can't go."

At Eric's puzzled expression, Rachel explained. "I'm pregnant. But I can still go, I'm here to help."

"I'll take Sookie," Eric said quickly. The two of them headed towards the front door.

I grabbed his hand and he turned towards me. "Be careful in there."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to die yet." He squeezed my hand lightly before letting go.

The rest of us headed down the tunnel and through the basement. When we got to the top of the stairs we found Bill waiting. Before we could make our move a sudden explosion cut us off.

"Go, go!" Bill commanded, shoving us back down the stairs. We ran back through the tunnel and into the alley. In the parking lot, the vigilante humans that had been responsible for Alcide's death were shooting into Fangtasia. Infected vampires spilled out of the bar and attacked the humans; while they were distracted we made our move. I fought my way though the crowd, killing vampires and humans alike. I saw Rachel shoot one of the humans with a look of pure loathing on her face; clearly she wasn't carrying any grudges.

One of the humans wrapped a silver chain around my neck and Jason shot him in the head. I looked around, we'd somehow won and part of that had been thanks to the awful vampire-hating humans.

"Where's Eric?" I asked.

Pam looked around. "Eric?" She called. Everyone began looking for him, when suddenly he popped his head up in the window of the humans' van. "You scared the shit out of me."

"I was hungry."

OoOoO

Eric made a phone call and had a clean up crew on the premises in fifteen minutes to take care of all the bodies. He also had light tights coffins sent so we'd be able to travel to Texas, not that I needed one. Pam dragged Willa back inside the bar, I groaned, knowing this wasn't going to be pretty. "I don't give a shit!" She shouted in Pam's face. "I'm not going anywhere with you!"

"You will go wherever your Maker commands you," Pam countered.

"He may be my maker, but he sure as hell didn't raise me." She noticed me. "My own sister didn't even help me! Tara taught me how to feed, how to control my urges. But you left her, and now she's dead!"

"Enough!" Eric shouted. "You're right, I've been a horrible maker to you. You have the right to hate me. Lily and Pam are going to help me kill Sarah Newlin before I meet the true death."

"You can count me out," Willa spat.

"She was practically your stepmother, if anyone would know where she'd go, it would be you."

Willa took a deep breath she didn't need, and walked toward him. "I will tell you what I know, if you release me."

There was a moment of silence, and then Eric stood up. He towered over her; I could see Willa preparing to step down. "Willa Burrell, I renounce the ties of our blood, and my dominion over you as my progeny. As your maker, I release you."

Willa shuddered and gasped like she'd just run a marathon. "Sarah has a sister, Amber Mills. She's a vampire."

"How the fuck does Sarah Newlin have a vampire sister, and the whole world not know?" Pam asked.

"I don't know, I overheard her on the phone one day. She said if Amber didn't stop calling my dad would put her in camp," Willa continued. "The call came from a Dallas area code."

**RPOV**

"Do you want me to drop you off at your house?" Sookie asked.

"I don't think I can go back there right now." I hesitated. "Can I stay with you tonight? I'd ask Bill but I don't want to be a bother and I mean I'd stay at Lily's apartment but-"

"You don't want to be alone, I get it." I nodded. "You know Bill would never call you a bother, you're family."

"He wouldn't call me that, but that doesn't mean he isn't thinking it. He's got enough on his hands with Jessica."

She smiled sadly. "Of course you can stay with me, Rachel."

"Thanks."

OoOoO

I slept the entire day, I felt like a vampire. A timid knock on the door woke me up. Sookie poked her head in. "Hi," she whispered. "Sorry to wake you, but Jackson is here."

It took me a second to place the name and I jumped out of bed suddenly. "Has he been waiting on me to go to the house with him? How long has he been here?"

"He just got here," she assured me. "I think he went by the house and gathered Alcide's things already."

"Oh." I put on one of Sookie's comfy robes and followed her down stairs. Jackson was waiting on us.

"Hey there, honey." He pulled me into a big hug; it was a little uncomfortable seeing as we hadn't been that close, but I appreciated the gesture.

"Did you already go to Shreveport?" I asked.

He nodded. "I packed up quite a bit. When Alcide's mother died, it was too hard for me to go through her things for a while. So when you're ready me and Jenny will have you up to our place and you can go through it all."

"Thank you." I laid a hand on my stomach. "This probably isn't the best time, I hadn't even gotten to tell Alcide before…but I thought you should probably know-"

"Sookie already let it slip," Jackson said.

I glanced at her. "Sorry."

"Alcide would have been a great father," I said.

"And you'll be a great mother," Jackson said. "I can't wait to meet the little guy."

"It could be a girl," I protested.

"You have a vision of that?" Jackson asked jokingly.

I smiled. "No, but you never know."

"Hey there, Rayray!" Lafayette said as he came in. I turned around and noticed the large spread of food on Sookie's dining room table. James had several more plates in his hands.

Jenny sat a plate down and then ran over to give me a hug. "How are you holding up, sweetheart?"

"Alright, I guess." I looked over her shoulder. "What's going on?"

"Well, Lafayette and I have been cooking all day!"

I looked at Sookie. "You said they just got here."

"I may have lied, a little," she admitted.

"There's enough food here to feed the whole town," I mumbled.

"Well chica, you've got to start eating for two!" Lafayette said. I fought an eye roll. "We invited the whole town over tonight, Sookie approved it."

"You're throwing a party?" I asked skeptically. "Maybe I should've just stayed at Lily's."

"You can leave if you want to, but at least let me pack something up for you," Jenny said.

"Rayray, doll face, I know your sad. But we've gotta celebrate the living!"

"Rachel, you said you didn't want to be alone," Sookie reminded me. "Alcide would want you to be surrounded by your friends."

I sighed. "Okay, whatever, I'll stay."

Lafayette clapped. "I took the liberty of picking you out something nice to wear from your closet while we were there," Jenny told me. "It's in Sookie's room."

There was a knock on the door and I saw Bill outside. I groaned. "Enough people have seen me looking like I just rolled out of bed today. I'll be down in twenty."


	38. 38 Losing Forever

**LPOV**

We arrived at Amber's house in the middle of the night, of course, since most of us couldn't walk in the sun. I rolled my shoulders, still feeling the need to stretch after being cooped up in the coffin all flight. Eric knocked on the door and a young woman answered a moment later. I noticed the black veins on her chest immediately.

"Amber Mills?" Eric asked. She nodded slowly. "We're here for your sister."

She looked confused. "She's not here, I haven't heard from her in months."

"Then you won't mind us looking around," Pam said. She pushed past Amber and into the house. Amber led us to living room and motioned for us to sit down. Pam flashed in and out of rooms, searching for Sarah.

"I'd offer you all something to drink, but…you know," Amber said sitting down beside me. "Who are you?"

"My name is Eric, this is my progeny Lily, and you already met Pam. You could say we have a sort of history with your sister."

"How'd you become Sarah's best kept secret?" I asked, cutting right to the chase.

She sighed. "I was always the rebel of the family, started fangbanging right out of high school, meanwhile Sarah married Steve Newlin. She flipped her shit when my boyfriend turned me, after all she did marry into Fellowship of the Sun. But, I was her sister, and I was broke, so she paid me to stay in the coffin. Then she went and told the media that her dear little sister had been kidnapped and murdered by vampires. And here I sat, with my boyfriend, watching House Hunter marathons and drinking TruBlood."

"She's not here," Pam said.

"Just like I said."

"What happened to him?" Eric asked, going back to Amber's story.

"Same thing that's happening to us. One day he got sick, and a few months later he was dying in my arms." She shrugged. Eric glanced at me and I looked away. Amber wiped her eyes. "Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I just come out when all the other vampires did. Maybe things would have been different."

"She would have had you killed and never looked back," Eric said. "None of this is your fault, it's your sisters. That's why we're going after her."

"Are you going to kill her?" Amber asked. Eric nodded. "Then you can count me in."

"I like her," Pam and I said at the same time.

"When was the last time you saw your sister?" I asked.

"Oh years ago, but she called here this morning. She said she just got into Dallas and needed a place to crash, I told her to fuck off."

"Where do you think she'll go?" Pam asked.

"Where she always goes, mommy and daddy. She may have ruined the family name, but our parents have always eaten her bullshit right up." She grabbed the newspaper and tossed it in front of us. "They've probably already left for this."

"Looks like we're going to a gala," Pam said.

"You'll never get in, you're vampires. Plus, they only invited assholes."

"Oh you obviously don't know us very well," I mumbled. "We're all kind of assholes."

**RPOV**

It took me a lot longer than twenty minutes to get dressed. A little makeup turned into a lot of makeup. Plus, right before I got dressed, I decided to curl my hair. Then when I put on my heels, I found a bottle of blue nail polish that matched the dress wedged in the open toe. Jenny certainly knew how to put an outfit together.

But I had to admit dressing up made me feel better, applying makeup and fixing my hair was practically therapeutic. I walked down stairs, and found the party was in full swing. People were dancing in the living room, eating in the dining room, and drinking practically everywhere.

Everyone looked at me, but no one said more than a cheerful hello. It felt nice to not have to talk to anyone. I took a seat next to Nicole in the dining room. "Hey Rachel!" Arlene said, grabbing my shoulders. "You want a drink?"

"Can't."

"Oh yeah, Lafayette told me. Kids are a handful, but you'll love 'em to death. Let me at least get you a Coke." Arlene stumbled as she tried to walk towards the kitchen. Then stopped, cursed, and kicked her heels off.

"I feel your pain, girl," Nicole said. "This'd be a whole lot better if I was drunk."

OoOoO

Just when I'd had about as much of drunk Arlene as I could take, Sookie pulled me into the kitchen. "I thought we could have a little, um, memorial service for Alcide. Would you like that?"

I looked around the room Bill, Lafayette, Jason, Sam and Nicole, just about every person I'd become friends in Bon Temps stood around, plus Jackson and Jenny. "Yeah, I'd like that."

They all looked at me expectantly. "I'll start," Jackson said, giving me a chance to gather my thoughts. "Alcide could be an arrogant little shit, even when he was a kid. You'd tell him to go left, and he'd go right just to piss you off. He questioned everything. Fighting was a way of life where we came from, but Alcide didn't fight just for the sake of fighting. He said he'd fight when he was good a ready, when he found something worth fighting for. You were worth it, Rachel."

I sniffed and Nicole handed me a paper towel to dab at my eyes so I wouldn't mess up my makeup. "You know when you meet someone and you just feel like you've found the thing that's always been missing from your life? That's how I felt with Alcide ages ago back in Jackson. I don't believe in love at first sight, hell I'm not even sure I believe in true love, but I know that Alcide and I made each other better. I wouldn't trade a single moment I had with him for anything in the world. I wish more than anything we'd left Bon Temps when we'd had the chance, maybe he'd still be alive. He was saving my life from practically the first day we met, and when it came time for me to save his there was nothing I could do."

"My boy died a hero, but you can't die a hero without a righteous cause," Jackson said. He raised his cup, "To Alcide."

OoOoO

I was sitting on the couch with Lafayette when Sookie came in the room followed by Andy and Jessica. "Well they sure is acting weird," Lafayette commented. Jason ushered Adilyn and Holly's son into the room. Andy walked past us, towards Holly and I noticed the box he was hiding.

"Hey, um, can we kill the music?" He asked. Holly looked confused. Jason nodded to our DJ, and the music cut out. Andy dropped to his knee.

"It's about damn time, he grew a pair," Lafayette mumbled to me. I laughed quietly.

"Holly, I have been waiting a long time to do this. I was trying to find the perfect time, but I'm beginning to realize there isn't one. The only thing that's kept me from doing this was me. I don't deserve a woman as beautiful and kind as you. I know this timing is weird, and you've got a lot of healing to do, but will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Holly said. She bent down and kissed him. Everyone else cheered and raised their drinks to them.

"I think I need to go upstairs," I told Lafayette.

"You okay?"

I nodded but made a dash for the stairs. When I got to my room I realized Sookie and Lafayette had followed me. "Are you alright, Rachel?" Sookie asked, startling me.

"Sure, yeah, I'm fine." I wiped at my eyes quickly before turning around.

"Oh honey, are you crying?" She took me by the shoulders and sat me on the bed.

"Yeah, this was just a little too much for me right now. It seems like yesterday that Alcide and I were walking, just out there," I motioned out the window. "And he was asking me to marry him. It feels like we got married this morning. It doesn't feel like he's dead, it's so hard to believe."

Lafayette rubbed my back. "It's been almost a year since Jesús died, and I still feel like he's with me. Time doesn't heal the wound, but eventually it hurts less."

"A year," I mumbled. "It's only been a year since Ilena showed me the mistake I was making with Eric. It seems like so much more time has passed. We've all changed so much."

"We live in a crazy world," Sookie said.

"Honey, crazy doesn't even begin to cover it," Lafayette said.

"I just never imagined I would outlive Alcide. I'm the fragile one, I'm the one who was always taking chances and getting into trouble, I'm the one who needed saving. Alcide was supposed to be invincible."

"Even _vampires_ aren't invincible," Sookie reminded me. "No one is. We all die eventually."

"But it wasn't supposed to happen this _soon_!"

"Nothing can take away the hurt," Lafayette said. "Not even all that tequila out there that you can't drink."

"I don't think there's enough tequila in the world to get me through tonight, let alone in this house." I sighed. "Give me a minute, I'll come back outside."

"Take all the time you need," Sookie told me. She squeezed my hand and then stood up.

Lafayette lingered for a moment. "Rach, you know I don't like calling on the spirit world. Them dead folk are damn pushy, but I'll do it for you. Just tell me when you're ready, you deserve your goodbye."

For a moment I was at a loss for words. "I didn't even think…Thank you, Lala."

"You're my girl, I'd do anything for you."

**LPOV**

"Oh my god," I sighed as Pam and I got into the elevator. I dropped my Niemen Marcus shopping bags. "I forgot what upper class feels like."

"Give it a few decades, vampires make up three fourths of the 1%. You're going to have so much money you won't ever be able to spend it all, and trust me you're going to have forever to try."

"This is the life," I laughed. The elevator came to a halt and the doors slid open. We walked down the hall to the room we'd booked. It was the swankiest hotel in Dallas and it has a gorgeous view. I already felt like the 1%, hell maybe I was, I had no idea how much money Eric had saved up in the last millennium.

We opened the door and walked in, Eric was already there, waiting for us. We unloaded our bags on to the bed and he looked them over. "All this for me?" He asked skeptically.

"Maybe a thing or two for ourselves," Pam said with a shrug. "We had fun."

"Are you ready to become Miss Texas?" I asked Pam.

"No, not really. Are you sure you don't want to do this? Honestly, you're so much sweeter than me. Really, you're like molasses sometimes, it's awful. That's a southern thing, isn't it?"

"I'm from Colorado," I rolled my eyes. "And I'm not sweet. I'm also not blonde. We need Dolly Parton, this is Texas after all."

"She was from Tennessee."

I shrugged, and pulled the curling iron and hair spray from one of the bags. "Let's do this."

OoOoO

An hour and a whole bottle of hairspray later, I'd finally gotten Pam's hair to the appropriate size. Eric presented Pam with her dress, an awful purple sequined thing that had to be the most gaudy article of clothing I've ever laid eyes on. "We've topped the whooping crane disguise," I said, admiring our work.

"That only took five minutes, not really any competition there," Eric said.

"The what disguise?" Pam asked.

"You're right, that was impromptu. This is a work of art."

Pam rolled her eyes. She pushed past me toward the mirror, when she saw her reflection she gasped. "Oh my god, I'm a republi-cunt." She turned smiling. "Wait until you see what the lovely man at Neiman Marcus picked out for you. Strip."

While Pam went to dig in the bags to find Eric's outfit, Eric took his shirt off, revealing the black veins that had spread across his torso. "Fuck, Eric," I said. Pam turned around. "You're stage two."

Eric reached into a bag and handed me concealer. "Hopefully this is good. Cover what will be visible."

"Damn it, Eric," Pam said.

"We need to be leaving soon, Pamela. Please get my clothes." Wiping bloody tears from her eyes, she turned back to the bags. I dabbed makeup on the veins around his neck. "I'm going to die, you need to accept that. Both of you."

Pam tossed Eric's clothes on the bed before going into the bathroom and slamming the door. "Maybe there's a cure."

"We've gone over this, there isn't a cure. I don't get a miracle, I don't get a second chance."

"This is all my fault."

"I chose to leave, you couldn't have stopped me."

"I pushed you away."

"You didn't make me reckless, losing Nora did, it was my death wish that caused this. But you and Pam have to promise me you'll be careful, you must live after I'm gone. You are my legacy." He put his hand on my cheek and I leaned into it.

"I wasted so much time with you," I said. "I still love you, I never stopped."

"You've been a vampire for less than a year, you have centuries ahead of you. You will love again, I can promise you that."

"What if I don't want to?" I asked.

He kissed my forehead. "You will."


End file.
